


The Missing Trooper

by Verlerious



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, I'll add more later as I go, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-03 08:54:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10963890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verlerious/pseuds/Verlerious
Summary: Only the rich people of Insomnia are capable of being to own a MT, the advanced technology created by the Niflheim Industry.  However, one of the advanced machines has escaped their creator and Cor Leonis is the lucky man to find one broken down on his doorsteps.  There's just one problem.  It's a golden rule that one is not to tamper with the MT no matter the reason. (Probably gonna rework this summary later)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely just a small snippet of an FFXV series I'm gonna start. x.x Also the ratings and tags may change later on once I fully have an idea of what all...might happen.

It was the last thing Cor expected to find sitting on his doorstep when he arrived home. The Magitek Trooper, or MT for short, sat leaning back against his door, the helmet it wore sparking and sizzling from the exposed wiring on the side of its head. It lay unmoving leaving Cor to believe that it had either malfunctioned thanks to the damage or that it had completely broken down.

While he was used to seeing the machines walking around the city, owned mostly by the rich people that could afford them, he never expected to see one left abandoned against his door. His only thought was that it must have either gotten lost when it malfunctioned, or the more unlikely response would be that it was dumped out here after breaking. The machines were usually well taken care of by their owners and usually a quick call to the Niflheim Industry would send a retrieval team out to taken the broken machine in for repairs.

Giving a sigh, Cor unlocked his door and opened it letting the MT fall backwards with a loud, metallic thud. It was going to be some work but he'd rather get the thing inside before his neighbors came out with questioning looks. Slipping past, Cor grabbed the MT by the arms and tugged it inside depositing it just inside the hallway before he closed the door to his home locking it. The MT didn't even move as Cor went around the house to cut on a few lights before coming back with a flashlight and some tools. He sat down cross legged beside the MT frowning as he stared at the helmet catching a glint of yellow that made his eyes widen with surprise.

Hair?

These MT seemed far more detailed than he expected, his flashlight shining on the opened gap in the side of the MT's helmet. He'd always expected the interior to be nothing more than motorized parts. What exactly was going on underneath this hunk of metal? Holding the screwdriver in his hand tight, he hesitated as he stared at the blond strands of hair staring back at him. One of the rules about the MT was that they were not to be tampered with. It was one of the agreements by the Niflheim Industry that the King of Insomnia agreed to in order for the machines to be allowed into the city.

The MTs were useful pieces of machinery used in part for hard labor and in some cases just mundane task such as carrying the bags of a wealthy female during her shopping spree. They made easy work of construction in the city and could help out in rescue operations. All it took were simple commands from their masters for the tasks to be done.

Their hard shell was nearly indestructible making Cor question how one could have been damaged to this extent. Aside from a large bomb going off, this shouldn't have been able to happen. So this made for the first time that Cor had ever seen even a glimpse inside the inner shell. But it also gave him worry that tampering further with the machine would incur the wrath of the Niflheim Industry. The machines required weekly maintenance where a tech would come out and inspect the machines for repairs before being allowed to return to their daily tasks. It was another thing the King had to agree to before the high technologies were allowed to roam around the city.

"Ngh…" The MT shifted then, the groan sounding too human for Cor to ignore it. He'd never heard an MT make a sound such as this and questioned if maybe this wasn't an MT but a person dressed up in a suit to look like one. But then the elaborate details to the suit along with the visible barcode on the MT's right wrist made him question just how true that was.

Cor started to get to work, moving meticulously as he worked on the little bolts one at a time to loosen them. There were so many of them and he could feel his fingers starting to cramp up and he was only on the helmet still. He doubted he'd get the rest of the suit dismantled tonight. That might be just as well considering he shouldn't be doing this at all. But curiosity was getting the better of him right now. So the bolts dropped out one by one before finally his fingers were given relief as he dropped the screw driver stretching his fingers. The MT hadn't made any more noise since and he wondered if maybe he had imagined it. Or maybe it had just been his stomach singing. He hadn't had a chance to eat since he got home.

He hesitated a moment, swallowing before he grabbed the helmet tugging to pull it off. His surprise would have been evident to anyone staring at him as he looked down at the young face of a man lying there in slumber. It wasn't what he expected to see. A face of nothing more than working cogs would have fit his mental image better, not a full on head that looked so real it could be human. Why was this hidden beneath the mask? What else was hidden below? Was there a full body underneath?

He wasn't going to be satisfied until he knew as he stood up and left only to come back with his power tools getting to work on removing all the bolts on the suit. He just hoped the thing wasn't set to explode if taken apart. That wouldn't be good at all.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cor rubbed his hand over his face for the tenth time staring again at the body lying on top of his bed. What he'd claimed from the MT's inner shell was a young boy that looked like he was about the age of 19 or 20. He looked young, his body resting there peacefully and completed void of any clothing at all. There was enough muscle mass to say he worked out…or to say that Niflheim created some major skin work to be able to pull off such realistic features. From the skin to the hair to the freckles on the boy's face, everything looked and felt real. It was confusing Cor the more he looked at him. The only thing that seemed unreal were the red, dilated eyes hidden beneath the closed lids.

He didn't know what to do from here. On the one hand the boy looked like a human. But on the other hand…he was an MT. He had the barcode on his arm that was a direct match to the one his outer shell had obtained. And from the looks of it, it'd been there for years, etched onto the skin to keep track of the MT even if the outer shell somehow became lost. Even worse was the fact that he had a pulse just like a human. It was confusing because Cor didn't know if he was looking at a human or a machine.

"Mm…" The boy on the bed stirred shifting around. Cor froze expecting to hear some of the robotic motors running at the shifting of joints but he didn't hear anything. He stared warily at the MT as he sat straight up in the bed, red eyes opening to stare at Cor and not showing a single bit of alarm much like he'd expect an MT to do. He didn't even seem bothered by the fact that he was naked, eyes staying focused on Cor.

Cor took a step back, the red eyes following his motion before he cleared his throat standing up straight. "Hello," Cor said continuing to stare back refusing to take his eyes off the humanoid being. "You were…damaged." He said it as a way of explaining why the MT was there though he wasn't even sure if the MT was even listening to what he was saying. "You collapsed outside my house."

The MT seemed to take those words in as his red eyes looked down glancing at the state of his exposed form before bland eyes looked up at Cor again. "You've have violated code 8375, tampering with an MT." It was the first time he'd heard an MT speak without the robotic shrills following along with it. Aside from the lack of emotion the voice held, it still sounded almost human. How did Niflheim manage to make such advanced technology? "Punishment for tampering with an MT is either 80 years of solitary confinement or death."

Cor frowned at the last word. "W-Wait just one minute!" The MT turned his legs standing up from the bed making Cor step back wishing he'd kept his katana on him in cause something like this happened.

The MT looked at him tilting his head almost curiously before he spoke again. "I have violated code 8377, damaging an MT. My punishment for my crime is…is…." He seemed to frown, eyes staring towards the ground as if trying to compute the answer to his violation. "Nngh." He reached up holding the side of his head as if in pain. He sank back down onto the bed gripping his hair tight and Cor started to wonder if he was malfunctioning again.

He swore he froze when he saw the eyes lift up to stare at him, the blue irises a large contrast to the earlier red glare he'd seen. They looked far too human to be unquestionable. In that moment when their eyes met, the blue eyes widened looking almost fearful before they closed as the MT's body slumped backwards onto the bed falling back into a state of stillness. Whatever Cor had just seen, was not something that a normal MT should be able to show to a person.

Cor hesitated, standing there panting slightly as he stared at the collapsed figure on the bed. It wasn't normal. This wasn't a normal MT. Was he a rogue? He noticed the chest rising and falling remembering seeing that the first time he'd laid him down. As if he was breathing just like a human. Cor gave it a few minutes before he walked over grabbing his katana on the way to keep beside him just in case. The MT didn't even seem to notice being moved as Cor placed him back on the bed properly then gave a second thought before covering him up with the blanket. He wasn't even sure if MTs could feel cold, but with how real the MT, including having manly bits for some reason, he felt like he needed to give him some privacy at least.

Sighing, Cor sat down in his recliner chair staring at the figure on the bed. He wasn't sure what to do with him. It was possibly he'd try to either kill him or take him in for tampering with him. But then he had mentioned his own violation right afterwards before he short circuited. Damaging a MT. Did he get into a fight with another MT? Was that the reason why the helmet had been damaged? He wish he knew the answer but at the same time he'd rather the MT just stay asleep at least until morning. Shiva knew he needed some sleep himself, a yawn escaping him.

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, the numbers 10:00 staring back at him. So late. Normally he'd have gotten his bath and been in bed. He still had things he needed to do at work in the morning. He closed his eyes for a few minutes to get his bearings straight.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

He jolted awake, looking around before his eyes landed on the clock seeing 2:00. Had he really just fallen asleep? He must have been more tired than he thought. He yawned stretching his neck feeling the kink in it as his eyes landed on the bed before he froze up, body tense. The MT was wide awake sitting up in the bed and just staring at him. The unnatural glow of his red eyes didn't provide any comfort to Cor as he reached down feeling himself holding the katana in his lap tighter.

The MT didn't make a sound, didn't even move as he just stared at him through the darkness uncomfortably. It was hard to tell if the MT was even aware as he didn't even blink or flinch nor did he try to make any indication that he knew Cor was awake. Slowly, Cautiously, Cor reached over to the lamp on the nightstand clicking it on, eyes cracking shut at the sudden brightness. The MT didn't react at all as Cor stared back lowering his hand to his lap again. Was he awake? Or was he still asleep but his body was reacting on its own?

"You said you violated a code because you damaged an MT," Cor said breaking the silence as the MT finally blinked acknowledging that he was currently functioning. If that was the case, why hadn't he done anything yet? "Did you get into a fight with another MT?"

The MT tilted his head to the side, the blond locks flowing easily before he shook his head. "I have damaged myself." Cor's eyebrows lifted up in shock at the words.

"Damaged…yourself?" He'd never heard of an MT damaging itself before. Hell, he'd never heard of an MT damaging another MT. "Why?" It was the only question he could ask out of all the confusion he was feeling. Why did an MT feel the need to damage itself?

"To removed my tracking device." The MT blinked again before looking away glancing around the room moving so lifelike that Cor would have thought he'd just found some guy on the street and brought him to his bed. "So that my creators can't find me."

"Your…creators…" Cor frowned putting the katana aside assuming from the conversation and the lack of any actions so far from the MT that he'd be safe around him for now. "Do you mean Niflheim Industry?" The MT looked at him again nodding his head. "Do you not like them?" He wasn't even sure if that was a valid question considering that MTs shouldn't be able to feel. But again he was surprised when he saw the MT's lips lower down into a frown.

"My body…does not like them. I don't understand what fear is. I was not programmed to understand fear. But my body does not like to be near them ever." His body. Was he saying his physical form didn't like being around the industry? Why was that?

Cor stood up, the MT's eyes shooting up to him quickly. But the MT didn't show signs of running away as Cor moved carefully coming closer. Sitting down beside him, Cor reached out gripping one of the MT's hands holding it up as he inspected it. The barcode stared back at him in the low light, a definite sign of Niflheim technology. But the feel of the hand radiating warmth felt too much like a humans and not the cold steel a machine should have. The MT was staring at him and he'd like to say the look was curious before Cor finally released the hand standing up.

"Hungry?" Cor asked staring down at him. "…Do you eat?" The MT actually hesitated as if really thinking about it, but the rumbling from his stomach was enough of an answer that Cor found himself chuckling in surprise. "I will take that to be a yes." He wasn't going to question how the MT could have a rumbling stomach. Instead, he'd just go with it and deal with the consciences later. If he was lucky, the food wouldn't be stuck sitting in the MT's stomach to rot forever. Or…or whatever was in there. Ugh, this was going to be more complicated than he expected.

TBC….


	2. Chapter 2

He barely paid attention to Regis's words as his thoughts kept plaguing him of the MT he'd left to roam freely around his home. While he hadn't slept as long as he would have liked, his mind kept him busy enough to stay awake for work. Several worries kept him too focused to be worried about what the meeting today concerned. He wasn't sure if the MT was doing ok, if he was maybe destroying the house or just sitting there staring off into space as he had done when Cor left this morning. The MT's words about his body not liking to be around his creators bothered him.

The MT had destroyed his own tracking device and essentially it was preventing the Niflheim Industry from finding him for now. That didn't mean Niflheim wouldn't try the typical door to door tactic to try and locate the missing trooper. Depending on when the MT had destroyed his tracker and collapsed on Cor's doorsteps, they'd be able to pinpoint just where the MT had last been. What did the industry do to rogue MT? Did they put them into a disposal unit? Take them back for retraining?

He wasn't sure but in the one night he'd gotten to know a little about the MT, he'd grown a little attached to him. There was so much he wanted to learn about the MT, so much he'd never known about before. MTs didn't talk unless spoken to, and they definitely didn't voice out opinions or mention a feeling such as discomfort.

"Cor…."

He'd like to know what to call the MT. But he wasn't even sure if MTs had names. Maybe serial numbers? He'd rather not call him by a number if he could avoid it.

"Cor Leonis…."

The MT didn't seem to have any problems with breakfast this morning either. Were MTs designed to eat just like regular humans? Was the food processed in their bodies? Melted away into nothingness? Was this possibly the original design of the MT before they put the creepy outer shells on them to hide their features? Maybe they were afraid of the MT being used for more personal, inappropriate reasons. Maybe that was why the tampering code was in place.

"Marshal." Cor tensed up at the sound of the title and looked over at Regis, the king standing at the end of the conference table with his hands resting on the table's surface, staring at him with a worried expression on his face. The others around the room were all staring at him, some murmuring to each other making Cor clear his throat as he seemed to sit up straighter in his chair. What had they been talking about? "You seem a little out of it. Are you well?"

"My apologies, Your Highness," Cor said bowing his head in respect. "I'm afraid I didn't sleep very well last night. I apologize for disrupting the meeting."

"It is quite alright, my friend," Regis said staring at him a little bit longer before he stood up straight addressing the rest of the party present. "Let us end things here for today. We can continue it again tomorrow. Bless be thee by the power of Eos."

"Bless be thee by the power of Eos," the words echoed from the others present in the room calling an end to the meeting as everyone started to stand. Some conversed with each other in more friendly discussions as Cor pushed his chair back preparing to vacate the meeting and return home until he found Regis standing beside him.

"Might I have a word with you," Regis said gesturing with his head for him to follow as he turned starting to walk off. Cor tensed up hesitating only slightly before he pushed his chair back in and followed after the king as they left the conference room going out into the hallway. Clarus was close by the king ever guarding like the shield and close friend he was. They were all close friends having traveled together in the past to help bring a close to a meaningless war. And while he felt he could trust them, he felt it better to wait until he had further information about the MT. Especially since the violation of the code was a pretty serious offense.

As they went into the king's chambers, Clarus followed them inside before closing the door and locking it. Once inside, Regis removed the long, formal robe he wore leaving himself in the comfortable slacks and shirt that lay hidden beneath. Cor stood just inside watching the king as the older man walked to the window staring out, his hands coming to rest behind his back.

"The Niflheim Industry got in touch with my recently," he said keeping his back to them as he spoke. "Unfortunately, one of their MTs has gone rogue and escaped from them while in the middle of being transported to our city. It seems the MT is malfunctioning and needs to be found and returned as soon as possible. They are asking for our aid in this situation." Cor commended himself for not giving away the fact that he was already aware of the situation far more than anyone else in the room.

"So what are they asking us to do? Don't the MTs come with a tracking device?"

"For some reason the tracking device has been damaged," Clarus said from behind him as Cor glanced over his shoulder at him frowning. "They're asking that we keep an eye out for the rogue MT and report it as soon as possible. They don't want to take any chances of it becoming violent and hurting the citizens."

"What do they plan to do with it once they capture it?" Cor asked, using his words carefully.

Regis turned around looking at him as he leaned back against the window sill. "Most likely, it would be sent to a disposal unit so as not to have this problem again." The king sighed as he reached up rubbing at his forehead. "Had I known these things would be so much trouble, I would never have agreed to this negotiation."

The negotiation had been simple enough. The Niflheim Industry wanted to test out just how well the MT could work around people. In exchange for the request, Niflheim would provide Insomnia with some knowledge about their technology, and more so the actual Niflheim Empire would not try to invade the city of Insomnia, in which the two countries had been able to obtain some measure of peace with each other thanks to the particular negotiation in place. However, before Niflheim would allow the MT into the city, there were certain guidelines that had to be followed. One was the tampering of the MTs as, Cor assumed, they didn't want people to learn just what made the MT ticks. Otherwise, wouldn't it be possible to just recreate the machines themselves?

Except, from what Cor had seen, even just getting inside wasn't enough if all you had was another host of mysteries. The MTs were also programmed not to harm others. This was to prevent such task as committing mundane crimes and murder. There were a lot of other things that were put into place before the machines were allowed to roam through the streets of Insomnia with their assigned owners.

"I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled, Your Highness," Cor said bowing low to his king before he turned towards the door. "If I come across the rogue MT, I'll contact you at once."

"Thank you, Cor. I know I can count on you." Regis smiled at him. The words sounded like a dismissal as Cor glanced back giving a nod before he walked towards the door, Clarus sliding out of his way to let him out.

"Make sure to contact us if anything out of the ordinary happens," Clarus said opening the door for him. "To be honest, I don't trust those Niflheim dogs with a stick. But if this is the only way to keep Insomnia safe then…" He sighed speaking louder. "See you tomorrow. Be sure to get plenty of rest."

"Yes sir," Cor said stepping out and turning bowing to him before he turned down the hallway walking away. Rest would be good, if he could get it. But he had a feeling he'd have a lot more to deal with first once he got home.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It wasn't what he expected to see when he got home. Chaos showcasing a destroyed home? Sure. The MT sitting in the same spot he'd left him on the bed? Definitely. His special guest sitting on the couch and watching the TV? Most certainly not. The MT didn't even acknowledge his entry into the living room as his eyes stayed focused on the television in front of him, more interested in the colorful motion of the cartoons than the fact that Cor had returned.

It was surreal, almost as if he weren't staring at a humanoid machine but at an actual human being. Niflheim Industry had called him dangerous. They wanted him captured and disposed of as soon as possible. It was Cor's duty as the king's friend and the marshal over the Crownsguard to follow his orders and turn in the rogue MT. But standing there and watching the MT sitting on the couch not even looking like he could hurt a fly made him realize he couldn't do it. He wanted to learn more about this MT, this creation of Niflheim. At least for now, he wanted to observe him longer before determining if he needed to turn him in or not.

"Hey." The MT blinked before the red eyes looked over at him almost sleepily. Was he tired? Did MT get tired?

"Hello." The MT turned partly on the couch staring at the paper bag in Cor's hand. "What is that?"

"Hm?" Cor looked down at the bag in his hand before nodding. "Dinner." He looked up at the young looking MT before gesturing with his head towards the kitchen. "Come eat." He still didn't know if the MT was capable of eating food but so far he didn't see anything bad by it. Heading into the kitchen he sat the bag down on the table, the MT coming into the room and starting to take a seat before Cor lifted a brow and gestured towards the sink for him to wash his hands.

He was surprised the blond listened to him and did as he said, washing his hands before taking a seat. Cor divided out the two meals unwrapping their hamburgers and sitting one in front of the MT joining it with some fries. He hoped it wasn't too greasy. It wasn't his usual choice in a meal but it was the quickest he could get before rushing back home to check on his charge.

The MT seemed to stare at the meal in front of him, his advanced mind seeming to process what it was before he picked it up preparing to take a bite before Cor's next words stopped him.

"So…what do I call you?" Cor asked taking a bite of his own meal before swallowing as he looked across at the blond. "Do they give you a name?"

"…My creators call me Serial Number 1337928-01."

"That's…a little too much to remember, you know." Cor ate a fry staring across at the guy swearing he was reading a look of confusion on the other's face. The red eyes stared down at the meal in front of him before they lifted up looking at Cor.

"My given name before my creation was Prompto."

"…Given name? Before your creation?" Prompto nodded his head but didn't go into further detail as he started to eat the meal leaving Cor with more questions about the MT's existence.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bath time seemed a little less confusing as Cor left him with a towel and soap along with some clothes to wear. It didn't take long as Prompto returned to the bedroom looking somehow refreshed. Cor's eyes couldn't help staring at the flush of red skin the shower seemed to cause realizing just how lifelike he was. He wondered if Prompto was capable of bleeding though he had no intentions of trying anything to see. Instead he sat up in the bed patting the spot beside him.

The MT walked over, the pants looking too big on him as they dragged on the floor around his feet. The shirt was like an oversize nighty and seemed to fit appropriately for now. Maybe when things settled down and he had the chance, he'd get Prompto some clothes to wear. He could probably borrow some of the Crownsguard uniforms as long as no one was watching him.

Prompto lay down in the bed beside him flat on his back as he stared up at the ceiling before his head turned looking at Cor, the red eyes not feeling as intense as they had the first time he'd seen them. "Why haven't you turned me in yet?"

Cor blinked at the sudden question before he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Something about you intrigues me. Besides, you haven't caused me any trouble besides collapsing outside my door." Cor hesitated before he continued. "Did you want me to turn you in?"

The head shake was quicker than he expected, enough that it actually made Cor smile at the quick response. "Then I won't turn you in," Cor said. Prompto stared at him as if trying to read if what he said was true before he surprised Cor by giving him a small smile in response. It was quick; almost a twitching of the lips but it went away quickly as the MT turned on his side away from Cor. The action had Cor staring at Prompto's back before he leaned back on his side reaching over to click the light off.

That had been a smile. That had definitely been a smile. Were MTs capable of smiling? Something…wasn't right about all this. The little things told him that from Prompto's lifelike movements to the blue of his eyes the first night along with the expressions of fear and happiness. Even Prompto's comments about his name earlier. Something about this all was very wrong.

He couldn't think about it right now. Maybe tomorrow. He needed to sleep. He didn't need another episode like what happened earlier today in their meeting. He needed to rest up so he could function properly tomorrow. If Prompto did like he did today and stayed put inside the house, he'd have plenty of time to ask more questions and learn more about the blond beside him.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cor was surprised he'd managed to sleep through the whole night. He almost jumped out of his skin when his eyes opened to see the red glow staring down at him. Reaching over quickly to turn the lamp on, the sight of the blond boy staring down at him with complete stillness didn't do much to deter how freaked out it made him.

"Can you not… do that?"

The MT blinked down at him before tilting his head to the side. "Do what?"

"Stare at me like that. It's unsettling to see someone staring down at you when you've just woken up."

"I'll try not to do it in the future." Cor sighed as he sat up in the bed shaking his head quickly before he pushed to his feet. "Do you have to go to that place again today?"

"To work?" Cor asked looking back at him before he went to his closet to get his clothes. "Yes. If I don't work, we don't eat." Dressed in his clothes for today he turned around looking at Prompto. "So I need you to stay put again like yesterday. Don't go wandering around outside. And don't answer the door or the phone if someone tries to contact me. Pretend like you're not even here while I'm gone."

Prompto sat up nodding his head looking far too serious for the age group he was supposed to be portraying. Frowning a bit, Cor reached out resting a hand on top of his head gently ruffling the blond hair trying to ignore how Prompto seemed to stare at him curiously.

"Good. I expect you to still be here when I get back." He waited until the blond nodded at him before giving a smile, brushing his hand over his head again before he let go. "I'll be back soon." The way the MT's lips seemed to lift a bit in a small smile made Cor swallow and glance away quickly. He'd be crazy if he called this humanoid machine cute. But just with the tiny smile staring back at him he swore the MT just felt more…human.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"That is it for today's meeting, everyone. Bless be thee by the power of Eos."

"Bless be thee by the power of Eos," Cor repeated, the words coming out automatically along with everyone else that chanted it. As chairs scraped backwards for the occupants to stand, Cor stood up from his own chair pushing it back under, intent on making a hurry escape before the words spoken beside him forced him to freeze up.

"In a bit of a rush, aren't you?"

Cor looked over at Clarus, the older man giving a friendly smile as he stared back at him seeming to take note of how hastily he tried to escape. He folded his arms over his chest lifting a brow as he stared at Cor.

"Something you're not telling your old friend? Perhaps you have a special someone you're meeting up with later?" It was a knowing look that crossed his face though thankfully it was nowhere in the right direction based on the leer on his face. "Finally found a lady to get lucky with?"

"A kitten," Cor said as his way of answering, his stern eyes looking over at Clarus as he frowned a bit. "I found a kitten on my doorstep yesterday so…I've been trying to take care of it. I'm not very good with cats so it's a bit of a learning process for me."

Clarus's eyebrows lifted in surprise at the words. "You don't strike me as a cat person at all, Leonis."

"I'm not," Cor said turning his eyes away as he tugged on his jacket straightening his clothes. "But I've become kind of attached to this particular one. It's kind of…cute."

"I'll admire the fact that you can say that with a straight face," Clarus said chuckling lightly before he smiled reaching up and resting a hand on Cor's shoulder ignoring the younger man's scowl. "I'd come help but I have a lot I have to handle around the Citadel lately. But Gladiolus and Iris are very good with animals. If you'd like, I could send-"

"It's fine," Cor said shaking his head trying not to let the panic rise in his eyes. "I'm doing fine with it on my own. Let your kids enjoy their free time. Isn't Iris still in school? And Gladiolus is still busy with training the young prince Noctis." He could see Clarus nodding his head in agreement and felt a breath of relief escape him as he continued. "I'm sure I'll have no problems learning how to change a kitty litter."

Clarus frowned watching him for a moment before he sighed lowering his head and finally relenting. "Fine fine. I won't send the kids over. But just know that the offer's still open whenever you need it."

"Thank you." Cor bowed his head slightly in respect before turning away.

"Ah right, you still have to oversee the training exercise tomorrow, right? There's no telling what time it will end at." Crap, he forgot about that. Once a month the Crownsguard went through intense training to evaluate their current fighting skills. That meant learning to fight in the dark as well which was best done at night.

It meant he wouldn't be making it back home until probably early in the morning. It all depended on how well the guards did in their training. The more failures that floated to the top, the more work they'd have to do to put things back to normal. And it meant more time to take care of things. The good thing was that they were always given a day off the following day to recoup from the training. But it also meant he'd have to leave Prompto alone at home for longer than usual.

"If you want to bring the cat over tomorrow, the kids can take care of it while you're at the training." Cor frowned again cursing that he used a cat instead of just saying he bought a new plant or something. At least that would have been easier to lie about. Hell, maybe lying and saying that he was meeting a girl would have been the better option, minus all the teasing that would follow it.

"I'll figure something out," Cor said turning around to look at him. "Thanks for the help today." He started walking leaving before Clarus could catch him off guard with more questions.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was the same as the day before with Cor coming home to seeing Prompto on the couch watching TV. He felt like he could get used to this homely feel, especially when the red eyes looked up at his entry and a tiny smile appeared on the MT's lips.

"Welcome home."

"Thanks," Cor said enjoying the warm feeling the words gave him. He'd never been welcomed into his home before. It was a good way to end a busy day. "Hungry?"

"My stomach keeps rumbling so I think I'm starving," Prompto said returning his eyes to the TV screen. "You didn't bring a bag with you this time. Was it not good?"

"It was," Cor said admitting the hamburger yesterday hadn't been all that bad. He'd stopped by the store on the way home to buy the ingredients needed to make the spaghetti. He'd also bought a few extra things as well like kitty litter, a food and water bowl, and cat food to…make his lie not seem so much like a lie. "However, I'm going to cook something up for us this time." Prompto's red eyes blinked before the MT looked over at him curiously.

"What are you going to cook?"

"Spaghetti," Cor said heading towards the kitchen with the grocery bags. He tried to ignore how the little kitten he'd also bought before coming home was following along on his heels mewing as it walked. It sure didn't take the little guy long to warm up to him, stalking around behind him as he went about preparing dinner for tonight.

Prompto ambled in as well, stopping at the door as he looked down at the little kitten mewing away at Cor's feet. "Is this a cat?"

"Correct," Cor said grunting. "He's going to be staying here for now on." He'd bought it on the chance impulse that Clarus did decide to make a visit to see the "cat" he claimed to find. At least then he could show a cat off to make it at least look like he told the truth. "Why don't you wait in the living room until-"

The words died on Cor's lips as he turned around staring at the MT. The blond was kneeled down and petting the kitten with the most tranquil look Cor could imagine seeing on a person's face. He looked so human in that moment that Cor almost forgot he was a product of Niflheim.

Perhaps Prompto felt the eyes on him, Cor wasn't really sure, but the blond looked up at him before the expression on his face changed back to that bland look again as he stood up once more, the kitten mewing and rubbing around his feet. "Shall I help with preparing anything?"

"No, it's fine," Cor said looking away again. "Just relax and I'll call you when dinner is ready." He could hear the other walking out heading back out to the living room as the older man took a deep breath to calm himself. MT's shouldn't be capable of making that kind of face. Maybe this was why they had the armor shell on them. Maybe it was to keep them from looking too human. Because he swore he was gaining a major soft spot for the blond in the living room.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It didn't take long for dinner to be made or for them to devour a good bit of the homemade spaghetti. While he wouldn't put it up to par with the cooks in the Citadel, Cor felt like he was a pretty decent cook. Prompto sure didn't complain about it. Not that he could imagine an MT having taste buds to begin with. The little kitten hadn't had a problem with eating in his new home nor did he have a problem with being scooped up and carried into the living room afterwards to sit comfortable in Cor's lap as he sat on the couch to watch TV.

He glanced over at Prompto sitting beside him, the MT sitting upright on the couch as he stared at the TV as if he actually cared what was going on with the visual images. Cor's fingers absently rubbed along the sleeping kitten's head, as he started outright staring before he realized it. The features, the details put into this MT all the way down to the freckles on his face. He still couldn't stop being amazed at how lifelike the features were. Even his lips seemed to have plushness to them as if blood flowed through them.

"Is there a reason for why you're staring at me?" Prompto asked, his eyes still looking forward before he turned his head to look at him, not even seeming bothered with being stared at. Cor blinked in response before he looked away clearing his throat.

"How exactly...were you created?" Cor asked instead of answering Prompto's question. He'd rather not delve into the thoughts that had started to rise up inside of him. Yeah, the boy was pretty but he was an MT. He wasn't human. He shouldn't be wondering about the small details of his body.

"I…" Prompto blinked pausing for a moment before he looked down at his hands. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember?" Cor looked over at him again staring once more as he half turned to face him. "How come you don't remember? You remembered having a name somehow, right?"

"Images…" Prompto said, his hands clenching slightly before he relaxed them again looking up at the TV screen staring through it. "I see images in my head. Some bring up memories…others become just a blur." He shook his head then looking over at Cor once more. "I don't remember how I was created." Images…memories. Was something wrong with his internal memory?

"Is there a way to fix your memory?"

Prompto stared and seemed to think about it for a moment before responding. "I don't think I'm supposed to remember them. I think that is why I'm currently defective." It didn't make sense. It was starting to seem like the more Cor asked, the more confused he became. It was starting to become like the only way he'd known what to do would be to talk to Niflheim Industry itself. But it was also the last thing he planned on doing for several reasons. One being that he didn't want to become a suspect if he just went in asking weird questions about the MTs.

None of the information he'd learned so far seemed like it was ever meant to be leaked. Hell, he imagined if he walked up to a random MT on the street that he'd probably never get an answer at all, or probably a quick arrest on the account of suspicious activities.

"Let's…call it a night," Cor said turning the TV off before he stood holding the kitten on his shoulder, the little guy looking around tiredly as he mewed.

"Where is the cat going to sleep?" Prompto asked following him as they headed to the bedroom.

"I have a bed that's made just for him," Cor said sitting the kitten on the bed. He left the room before coming back placing the little cat bed beside his own bed before sitting the kitten in it and being impressed to see the small feline lay down to sleep. That was a lot easier than he expected. He was definitely going to have to come up with a name for the little guy later. Calling him cat and kitty all day wasn't going to bode well for him.

"Ah that's right." Cor turned around looking at Prompto and trying not to be bothered by the half-naked chest staring at him as Prompto stopped midway in pulling his shirt off. "I'm going to be a bit later coming in tomorrow. There's a training exercise going on tomorrow that I have to be present for. So don't expect me to return into probably tomorrow morning at most."

"I'll try not to cause any problems while you're gone," Prompto said giving a small nod.

Cor smiled at him. "Good. Just do like you've been doing and we should be fine. I'll try to make it home as quick as possible."

"What about the cat?"

Cor paused thinking about it. "…For now, I'll drop him off at Clarus's house in the morning. Clarus has two kids that can take care of him for a bit while I'm gone."

"Who is Clarus?"

"Clarus is someone I work with." Cor lifted a brow seeing Prompto's mouth opened to ask another question before he cut him off quickly. "Now, go get a bath so we can get to sleep." The blonde's mouth closed as he blinked at him before giving a swift nod heading to the bathroom. Tomorrow was going to be a long day for the both of them. But with the kitten as a form of distraction, he could at least keep certain people from showing up at his house randomly. At least this way he could keep his little secret of the rogue MT hiding in his house a little longer.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

The training exercise went along smoothly lasting until almost three in the morning. Cor yawned a bit, hands resting behind his back watching the guards finish up the last of their current exercise. He honestly couldn't wait to get home to bed and, more importantly, to check up on the MT lodging in his home. He wondered if he needed to install a security camera in his home. At least that way he could keep an eye on Prompto to make sure he was still doing ok. After all, this was the longest that he'd had to be away from the blond.

The Crownsguard he was overseeing warped through the training stage destroying the last of their targets before he lifted the whistle blowing into it signaling an end to the training exercises.

"Well done, everyone," he said lowering the whistle as he looked around with tired eyes. The Crownsguard in training looked as tired as he did if not worse. "You've all passed on your training in this early morning. Well done. You have the rest of today off to rest. You'll resume your usual duties beginning the tomorrow morning." When he saluted, the guards regardless of fatigue saluted in return, bodies rigid and fists over their hearts as they as they chanted "For Our King, For Lucis," into the darkness.

Getting home was the best feeling he could have. He was so ready for bed he doubted he'd even bother with a shower until he woke up. He was bone tired thanks to his part in the training of having to spar against each of the Crownsguard to test their skills. It had been fine while the adrenaline was running, but now it was just flat out tiring now that everything had settled down and he was officially home.

Opening the door, he had almost forgotten about his guest being there until he heard the sound of the TV playing in the living room. He'd never had to leave Prompto alone for so long and grew a little startled when he didn't see the blond sitting on the couch. It wasn't until he got closer to the couch that his eyes softened staring down at the boy curled up on the sofa, eyes closed as if he were asleep. Honestly, he wasn't sure if the MT was even capable of sleep, unless maybe sleep time was a way for the MT to recharge himself.

Sitting down cross legged on the floor in front of the younger looking boy, Cor held his hand out just underneath his nose feeling the breath hitting his fingers just like he'd have felt from any human. He gently cupped the soft feeling cheek radiating with warmth to humanlike to ignore. As he brushed his hand over Prompto's hair, the face squinted up before the blonde's lids cracked open a bit.

Cor couldn't prevent the stare, his eyes focused on the crack of blue he saw peeking out from beneath the partly opened lids. Blue eyes…just like the first night Prompto woke up in his home. Was this his true eye color or just a color indicator that the MT was powered down? The eyes closed again as Prompto mumbled something making Cor frown as he rested a hand on his shoulder shaking him slightly.

"Hey…don't sleep here," Cor said watching the eyes open again still shining with the blue that Cor decided he didn't mind seeing more of. "Come to bed at least. You'll be more comfortable there." Did it matter? Well in Cor's mind at least, it did.

Just one blink and the eyes were red again as the MT nodding his head finally starting to sit up. The peaceful look of slumber seemed to melt from his features as he seemed to awaken more looking as if he hadn't been sleeping just moments before. He stood up not giving up a protest as he followed Cor to the bed room, his eyes casting around before he spoke.

"Where is the kitty?" He asked looking at the back of Cor's head.

"Still with Clarus and his family," Cor responded heading over to his side of the bed. "I'll call Clarus when I wake up and go by his house to pick him up later." He slipped from his clothes as he spoke not noticing the stare at his undressed body. "Why don't you come up with a name for him?" Slipping on a pair of sweats, Cor looked over at him catching sight of a thoughtful look on Prompto's face. He seemed more…expressive today, enough that Cor wanted to ask more questions to learn more about him. But he was too tired today, moving to climb into bed and put the rest of the day behind him.

"A name?" Prompto stared across the bed at him before following suit when Cor gestured for him to get inside. "A name for the cat?"

"I'd rather he had some way to identify him other than calling him cat. So come up with something and let me know when I wake up." He waited until Prompto finally laid down beside him before he closed his eyes to sleep.

"Are you sure that I can really-"

"We'll talk about it when I wake up," Cor said cracking his eyes open and staring at the red eyes staring back at him across the bundle of sheets. "Now go to sleep." He saw the blonde's eyes close promptly though rather he was really sleeping or not was another thing all together. Not that Cor could focus on the act himself currently as his eyes drifted shut and blessed sleep finally claimed him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The ding of the doorbell was what woke him up. His eyes shot open before he rolled over staring at the clock that just seemed to beam back at him with a happy 3:00 P.M. Had he really went to sleep for that long? As the doorbell was rung again, Cor grumbled forcing himself from the bed before he headed out of the room walking barefoot to the front door. He wasn't wearing a shirt but honestly, if someone wanted to bug him at his own home, they were just going to have to deal with it.

"I know you're in there, Cor. There's no use pretending you're not home." The knock sounded again after the voice spoke as Cor stared at the closed door at the sound of Clarus's familiar voice. Eyes growing wide, he turned quickly, the memory of the MT hiding in his house just now reaching his sleep bogged mind.

"Sorry, give me a minute to put some pants on," Cor said through the door hearing something smart from Clarus in return but already heading back into the bedroom catching the MT just getting up from the bed. "Stay put. And don't make any sounds until I come in and say it's all clear." Prompto's wide eyes stared back at him before he nodded his head slowly before Cor turned closing the door behind him as he rushed back to the front door. Why was Clarus here? Couldn't he have at least waited until Cor called him?

As he opened the door, he saw the older man standing there with a lifted brow, a mewing kitten held in one hand. "I believe this is yours." He held the cat out to him.

"Right…thanks." Cor grabbed the cat holding it on one shoulder like a child and rubbing its back as he looked at Clarus frowning. "Why are you here?"

"Well," Clarus said slipping past Cor as he invited himself inside. "After not receiving any returned phone calls back from you, I got a little worried and decided to check up on you myself."

"…Returned phone calls?"

"…I called you four times. You never answered." Clarus stared at him seeming to take in the look of him before he tilted is head in surprise. "Don't tell me you've been asleep this whole time?"

"Early morning training will do that to you," Cor said frowning.

"Yes but I've yet to see you sleep for this long before." Clarus was frowning too as he looked back at Cor. "I came here for more than just a cat delivery anyway." The seriousness in his voice made the frown on Cor's face deepen more before he gestured for him to walk into the living room as he sat the kitten down leaving him to his own devices.

"Did you want a drink or anything?" Cor asked standing by the kitchen door watching Clarus take a seat on his couch. It wasn't like it was the first time that Clarus had ever come to visit him. Just the first time since the MT stayed in his home.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm fine. I'm only here to deliver this quick bit of information before I need to return to the king's side." Nodding, the marshal walked over to sit in the recliner beside the couch, casting his eyes over at Clarus as the older man sat rigid, hands on his knees. He reminded him temporarily of Prompto, of how the blond never seemed capable of relaxing. Then he was reminded of coming home this morning to find the MT curled up on the couch like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Do you remember what we discussed a couple of days ago?" Clarus asked as his eyes focused on the dark TV screen in front of him.

"…Would you be referring to the Niflheim Industry?"

"The one and only," Clarus said glancing at him. "It seems things got a little more elevated and it's moved all the way up to the Niflheim Empire now. We're getting a visit from Chancellor Ardyn Izunia tomorrow to see about trying other options as far as finding the missing MT."

Cor opened his mouth to ask him who this chancellor was but the sound of something falling and shattering from the bedroom made both men freeze up in surprise. Remembering that Prompto was still in the bedroom, Cor stood as casually as he could as he turned to leave the living room.

"Sorry, sounds like the kitten might have gotten into something. I'll be back."

"Sure you don't want some help?" Clarus was already starting to stand from the couch as Cor turned around shaking his head quickly.

"No, it's fine. Just stay here and relax. I'll be right back." He waited until he saw Clarus sit again, doing his best to give the concerned look a disinterested look in response as he turned walking to the bedroom. He saw the door was cracked and frowned slipping inside before closing the door behind him.

Prompto was standing by the dresser, the lamp that had been sitting on to display shattered at his bare feet. He didn't seem to notice it even as blood escaped from the open cuts thanks to the lamp's sharp glass. His blue eyes were wide staring off into the distance with a brilliance that seemed to be raging with emotion now. The expressions on his face ranged so diversely that Cor couldn't tell if he was confused or shocked. But fear was definitely evident there as his chest rose and fell with quick breaths.

"Prompto," Cor said in a half whisper wanting to get the MT's attention without alarming Clarus to what was going on. When the young blond didn't react, Cor took a chance stepping closer being careful that his own feet didn't step in the broken glass. He grabbed the younger man's arm pulling him from the broken glass as he grabbed his shoulders shaking him lightly and looking into his eyes. "Prompto." He said it a bit more harshly determined to get the blonde's attention.

Prompto jerked, his eyes focusing on Cor though the fear didn't dissipate as his lips trembled and foreign tears started to gather in his eyes. "Please don't make me go back!" He started to struggle and it took all of Cor's strength just to be able to hold him close to keep him from thrashing too wildly. "You said you wouldn't tell them! Please don't let them take me away! Don't send me back!"

"You're not going anywhere," Cor said hushing him softly in his ear as he held him tightly. He could feel the body trembling against him but the words seemed to make Prompto stop fighting as Cor held onto him awkward, unfamiliar himself with expressing emotions such as comfort. "You're staying here for as long as you want. I won't let them take you away." Especially since now he felt like he had more reason to doubt the trustworthiness of the Empire. The blue eyes blinked at him changing back to the red color as the emotions that had been so evident not long ago disappeared from the young features.

As the eyelids closed again and stayed closed, the MT's body suddenly leaned on him heavily as if shutting down to go into a state of slumber. Cor was careful to pick up the MT still amazing by the lightness of the smaller body that he initially thought to be filled with metal parts. Prompto didn't move when he was picked up nor did he when Cor laid him down on the bed. Whatever had just happened, Prompto had very easily managed to escape explaining it by either passing out or shutting down. He said passing out in his head because of the simple fact that Prompto had acted more human in this single moment than he had his whole time staying here.

Cor glanced down at Prompto's feet staring at the obvious cuts that still seemed to be bleeding a bit even now. MT didn't bleed. At least…as far as he knew, they didn't. They also didn't express emotions or come close to shedding tears and having a mental breakdown. At least, as far as he knew…machines didn't have emotions.

"Care to explain to me what's going on here?" Cor tensed looking up at the voice to see Clarus leaning his shoulder on the door frame with his arms folded staring right at them. He didn't look happy based on the frown on his lips or the way his eyes were drawn down suspiciously. The marshal wasn't sure how much his captain had seen, but there wouldn't be an easier way to explain why he had this young blond male in his bedroom except to tell the truth…either that to try lying about having a fetish for young male blondes. He'd rather just stick to the truth.

"You may want to sit down," Cor said gesturing to the recliner by the bed. As Clarus went to sit down, Cor took the time to leave and get the first aid kit from the bathroom. "Just promise you'll let me explain everything before you interject."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"…So…this is the rogue MT?"

Cor nodded his head looking up from where he finished bandaging up the damaged feet having cleaned the wounds pretty well of the glass that sat bloody on a paper towel. The marshal's clothes were a bloody mess from where he'd had the younger's feet resting in his lap to work on him. All the while, Prompto stayed in his quiet slumbering state.

"He looks just like a regular human."

"…Which is the dilemma I am stuck with right now," Cor said looking over at Clarus. "Take a look at this." He waited until the other got closer before holding up the arm with the barcode on it that was very similar what was seen on the wrist of other MTs throughout Insomnia. He could tell by Clarus's deep frown that he did indeed recognize the look of the barcode.

"….And you say you found him in the armor." Cor nodded again letting the arm drop back down. "Why…why put something like this in those machines? Why make it look so lifelike, so human?"

"…I suspect that's because he is a human." Clarus's eyes cut over to him from where they'd been searching over the blonde's body on the bed. He looked shocked to hear the words slip from his mouth, as if it was a completely impossible feat. "While I had my doubts at the beginning, his actions lately as the days pass point towards him just being a regular human like you or me."

"….MTs aren't human."

"So we're told by the Empire," Cor stated lifting a brow up at him. "But can MTs bleed? Can they scream and yell out in fear? Talk about memories or names? Feel hunger?"

Through it all Prompto stayed sleeping, his feet having been carefully wrapped up to prevent infection to the open sores Cor had taken the time to clean on his feet. He was lucky that there were only a few cuts, and none were too deep to cause any real damage. But it led Cor to believe in his theory that Prompto was in all actuality, a real human.

The problem was in how or what qualified him to be an MT? Did the red eyes mean the MT in him took over? Was it brainwashing? Programming? Some form of body modification? Because he was pretty sure normal humans didn't just change eye colors like it was a normal everything thing. But Prompto didn't refer to himself as a human. Though he did say he had problems with remembering anything before his creation. Was it possible to block memories like that? Well Prompto did say he felt like he wasn't supposed to remember the memories. He wasn't meant to remember his past. If that was the case, the Empire had to have done something to keep that from happening.

"It would…explain Niflheim's no tampering rule. If people learned that these machines were actually just humans…."

"In some cases, it wouldn't change a thing," Cor said sitting beside Prompto on the bed and reaching down gently brushing a hand over his head missing the curious look that Clarus gave him. "If they all look anything like this beneath their exterior shells, I can only imagine the types of dirty deeds people would have them do."

"But…how is the Empire controlling them?" Clarus stood walking over to the other side of the bed and looking down at Prompto as if he were looking at some foreign being. "How do you control a human?"

"Well…fear would obviously be one way," Cor said frowning remembering how Prompto freaked out begging not to be turned in to the Industry.

"But the other MTs don't show any kind of fear. You'd really think they were just robots just from how they act." Cor rubbed at his chin in thought. That was true. So maybe it had something to do with their suits. Prompto, somehow, had malfunctioned and found a way to destroy his own tracking device. Maybe something else in the suit acted as a deterrent to rebellious behaviors. He never bothered looking further into the suit, discarding it as soon as he could in case his home suddenly did get invaded.

"There is one thing," Cor said remembering as he looked over at Clarus. "They have a required maintenance schedule of once a week where the techs come out to service them."

"I do remember that being in part of the agreement the king signed," Clarus said rubbing at his chin. "What exactly do they do for maintenance?" That was a good question. It wasn't like anyone ever stood around and watched while they tinkered with the Magetik programming.

"I don't know," Cor said frowning a bit. "If I remember right it happened once while I was on patrol. They bring out a big truck and all the MTs from set vicinities meet at the truck to receive their maintenance. They board one by one and it takes approximately ten minutes for each MT. Completion allows them to return to their assigned owners. Or at least…I assume they are the same ones to return."

"So you're thinking that maybe whatever it is that they're using to control the MT only can last for a week at most," Clarus said.

Cor opened his mouth to respond but the movement from the bed stopped his words from coming out of his mouth as he looked down seeing Prompto's eyes open slowly. They were still blue which only served to confuse Cor even more as he sat back letting the MT sit up on the bed. The blond seemed to stare off into space, a dazed look to his eyes as he stared in front of him at the wall. It was similar to any other time where the MT would just stare off into space except the difference in eye color.

"…Prompto?"

"Hm?" Prompto turned his head looking at Cor as calmly as normal. It wasn't until Clarus came into view that his eyes grew with fear. He lowered his feet to stand only to wince in pain as he pulled his feet back up staring down at the bandaged appendixes.

"Relax," Cor said softly, not making an effort to move despite his caretaker instincts wanting him to move to make sure he was ok. Prompto had just reacted to pain. That was…completely unusual. "Clarus isn't one of them." The blue eyes looked up at him still shining with fear. Cor wasn't sure if it was the look that he gave the MT that made him calm down as the eyes glanced up at his old friend.

"Cla…rus…." Prompto said the name like he was experimenting with it, a frown lifting onto his lips as his body finally calmed down a bit. "None of my creators had a name like that."

"…Can you tell me anything about yourself?" Clarus asked and started to step forward until Cor held a hand up and shook his head to tell him to stay in place. He wasn't too sure Prompto had fully warmed up to him. He'd rather not take a chance of another outburst happening or someone else getting hurt. Clarus seemed to pick up the intent, nodding his head before he returned his attention to Prompto. "Can you tell me how you were made?"

"I…don't remember," Prompto said frowning more as he kept his eyes on the floor refusing to look up at them. "My…serial number is 1337928-01. I…I am an MT. I…am a Magitek Trooper. I…do not need to think. I just have to…follow…or…Nngh." He paused holding his hand to the side of his head in pain, his eyes flashing red before the blue returned to them. "Hurts…it hurts." Frowning, Cor reached over gently rubbing his head and speaking soothing words to him trying to ignore how Clarus was looking at him as he slowly calmed the blond down.

"Don't worry about it so much right now," Cor said a little bothered by how the eyes that used to be so intent on looking at him were making an effort to avoid him. "How about you lie down and rest for a little while. I'll see about putting some salve on your feet to help them feel better." The blond tensed hesitating before nodding and lying down on his side.

"Clarus, why don't you wait in the living room for me? I'll be there shortly." Clarus nodded in agreement, looking at Prompto again before he turned walking from the room leaving them a bit of privacy. Giving a sigh, Cor turned his attention to Prompto again staring at the closed eyes as he slid over gently petting the hair. The touch must have gave comfort to Prompto because the blond gave a sigh, his body relaxing as he slowly allowed sleep to claim him again.

Cor moved carefully as he eased from the bed covering the young blond up before he crept his way out of the room. He found Clarus waiting in the living room as promised, sighing as he went to the kitchen grabbing two cans of beer from the fridge before coming back handing one to his friend. While he wasn't big on drinking, days like these had him seeking a bit solace of the alcohol type. Clarus didn't decline the offer, taking the drink and popping it open before taking a sip of it.

Cor took his own sip, sitting with his elbows resting on his knees as he hunched over in the recliner. "What do you plan to do now?" Clarus asked making Cor's eyes lift to look at him. The older man was staring back at him sitting his drink on the table in front of him. "Aside from the fact that the Empire is looking for him, he seems broken both physically and mentally."

"He's not broken," Cor said frowning finding the words offensive to his taste. "He just needs to learn that he's not a machine."

Clarus stared at him for a moment before giving a sigh. "Well…you know I can't keep this a secret from Regis." He smiled then picking up his beer for another sip. "I'm sure he won't mind it. But you must keep it a secret of his origins."

"I had no intentions of spreading his secret," Cor said frowning, taking in the way Clarus's eyes lit up. "…What are you planning?"

"Something simple…but with careful planning." Clarus stood up resting his arms behind his back. "The boy looks to be in his early later teens at the least. If he's going to be reintegrated as a human, he'll need to associate with someone else besides an old fart like you."

"…Look who's calling who old now." Cor tensed up when Clarus gave him a glare then gave a sigh when the eyes looked away back towards the bedroom.

"It seems you were right about his memories." He had a serious look to his face as he drunk more of the beer. "And someone his age shouldn't be living a life full of nothing but fear and pain. I can't imagine what the Empire did to make him like this but if we can learn anything at all from him, maybe we can learn more about these MTs and what the Empire's really planning to do with them."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Cor stared at him. "Clarus, what are you think-"

"Don't worry about it for now," Clarus said cutting him off as he stood to his feet. "At least for now just keep him out of harm's way. First thing tomorrow, we'll discuss more about your little, lost kitten." He gave Cor a meaningful look at the last words, knowing now what it was that Cor had really found.

Cor shrugged nonchalantly at that standing to his feet as well. "Tomorrow then."

"And…tomorrow, don't forget we have a meeting with the Empire itself." Clarus frowned on that note, look darkening. "It'd be best to keep your answers to the bare minimum in order to avoid suspicion."

"I'll keep the words at heart," Cor said bowing slightly with a hand over his chest in respect. It wasn't his old friend he was talking to, but the king's shield and a member of the councilmen. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning." Clarus nodded draining the rest of his beer before taking his leave, the kitten coming out of hiding now that the commotion was all died down.

Cor smiled reaching down and picking up the little guy carrying him into the room with him. While he wasn't tired thanks to the long rest earlier, he sat the kitten on the bed beside Prompto and grabbed a book for himself, sitting on his side of the bed as he laid back to rest. He'd keep an eye on things, at least until he could grow tired enough to sleep. It was still early in the afternoon, but at least he was free to think about his own current thoughts. The kitten walked over to the blond purring as he nuzzled against the others back before settling to lie down beside him, having grown a certain attachment to the MT.

Chancellor Ardyn Izunia. Just the mention of this man's name seemed to have set Prompto off earlier. He wanted to ask about it, to ask if the blond knew him. He was almost certain the blond knew the name and possibly the man himself, especially with the amount of terror that shined in his eyes. He wasn't sure if the man was possibly one of his creators, but seeing as the man was part of the Empire, there were an infinite number of possibilities as to how and why Prompto knew him.

Those would be questions he'd have to wait to ask. Maybe once Prompto was in a calmer state of mind…maybe then. But at least he'd get to meet the man himself tomorrow. Perhaps he could learn something from their encounter, even while keeping things to the bare minimum.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because you know jerkface Ardyn had to show up at some point. DX I love to hate him. He’s…something else out of this world. D:

There was something off about Chancellor Ardyn Izunia from the moment he stepped into the throne room. Cor stood guard at the bottom of the steps leading up to the throne, his eyes having a glare to them as he stared at the red head in suspicion. If Prompto really did know this man, he could understand why the blond would freak out. There was something about him, a feeling of foreboding that seemed to waft of him in waves. His eyes barely even took into account that Cor stood there as he stopped at the foot of the steps staring up at the king with a jokester like smile on his lips.

The King of Lucis didn’t stand in greeting, his wary eyes watching the man. It was the first time that Cor was being invited into one of these meetings with the Empire, but he could almost sense the distrust in his king’s being. 

“Good evening, Lucis King and…all that are present before me,” Ardyn said giving an over exaggerated bow while holding his ridiculously oversized hat to his chest before he stood up straight slipping the hat back on.

“Chancellor Ardyn Izunia,” Regis said in acknowledgement not even bothering with a respectful bow of his own, hands resting on the armrest. His shield stood on his other side protectively, watching the man looking just as unhappy to see him as Cor felt. 

He could tell from the look on Clarus’s face that the man didn’t have any fond feelings for the chancellor. He’d probably displayed the least amount of love for Niflheim not trusting in the truce that he felt like was just a lie to lull the city of Insomnia into believing that peace had truly been obtained. 

“You wished to discuss the situation concerning the missing Magitek Trooper, correct?” King Regis continued getting straight to the point. 

“Not much for pleasantries today, your highness?” Ardyn asked giving a smirk that only seemed to make the frown on the king’s face deepen. “But yes, that is the reason for why I am here. It saddens me to see that one our products, a favorite of mine to be exact, is running loose without supervision, without any control. It could likely threaten the precious lives of those in this prodigious city.” He made to look like the thought bothered him as he turned looking around the throne room slowly, his eyes landing on Cor’s a brief moment, sending a small chill down his body before they looked to the king again. 

“And that would be the last thing I’d want for the king of Insomnia to have the pain of dealing with.”

It made Cor uncomfortable as he shifted a bit by the pillar he stood in front of feeling his hand twitching wanting to grab hold of his katana. This man gave off a dangerous feel to him but he couldn’t put his finger on why. After all, it was just one man. The three of them could never be considered lightweights when it came to a fight. Even if the king was coming into his prime, even if he’d weakened over the years thanks to old age catching up to him, he still had the ability to fight like a champ.

Yet looking at the two of them up on the upper level where the throne sat, he couldn’t tell if they felt any type of discomfort from this man, Regis did well to hide it, showing impressive control as he slowly lifted his bad leg crossing it over his good one with little problem. “So you’ve had personal interaction with this MT, Chancellor?” he asked, placing interest in that knowledge as he continued staring down at the representative from Niflheim. 

“Oh more than you would know,” Ardyn said almost eagerly. It made Cor cringe a little and frown wondering if he needed to check Prompto’s body further than he’d initially done, worried about what things the boy might have been through. “After all, it is my personal MT. And I do so miss it dearly.” 

He said the words as his eyes shifted over to Cor, the Marshal feeling his body tense up as he felt like the other man was reading everything about him. He didn’t intend to give into the weakness as he let his eyes shift away breaking the contact, his hand gripping his katana before he could stop it. How could a man take away his control with one simple look?

“You know the feeling, correct?” Ardyn asked his eyes shifting back to the king’s as they narrowed slightly. “Of losing something you hold so dear. It is…heartbreaking, is it not?”

The king’s grip tightened on the armrests and Cor swore he was about ready to warp down and deck the man right in the eye if it weren’t for Clarus’s words.

“A word of warning, Chancellor,” Clarus’s cold voice said as angered eyes glowered at Ardyn. “We’re not here to discuss-”

“No, it’s fine,” Regis said holding up a shaking hand managing to still it as he stopped his shield from speaking, his sullen eyes staring at Ardyn. “While thinking of my dear, deceased wife still plagues me to this day, she left me with a gift I cherish more than anything in the world.” He tilted his head back haughtily as he clenched his jaw. “I have people who will support me as friends, family, and their king. I’m sure you might not know what that feels like, do you Chancellor?”

Ardyn stared at him for a moment, Cor’s grip tightening on the katana ready to attack before a mirthful laugh escaped from Ardyn as he turned pacing a bit, his eyes focused on Regis as he rubbed at his chin.

“Very well,” he said lifting his arm in Regis’s direction with a flamboyant gesture, his head tilting back slightly. “Back to the topic at hand though you surprise me with your lack of shall I say…the council?”

“That is really of no concern to you,” Regis said sitting up straighter on the throne. “Please stay focused on the current situation or we may have to end this session.”

“My apologies,” Ardyn said taking his hat off and bowing to him again before looking up at him. “My manners are pretty diabolical. And I wouldn’t want your guard dog to break off his leash.” He said it while casting a smug look over at Cor. “As trained as he is, I’d rather not end up accidently putting him down.” Before Cor could comment, the red head was looking up at Regis again. 

“No no, what we’re here to discuss is the missing, or dare I say, rogue MT,” he continued. “If you would allow us, the Niflheim Empire, to bring in more highly skilled MTs, I’m almost certain they would find it in no time. While it’s possible it lay in disrepair, which in my honest opinion would hurt my dear heart, I do know the urgency there is in finding it. However, I request that it is found in one piece if possible. My special little MT.”

“I understand your concern and your rush to find this MT of yours,” Regis said using his words carefully as he leaned back as well. “However, simply allowing more MTs, especially a model we’re unfamiliar with, to roam freely through our streets would be dangerous. While we have allowed some in Insomnia to own MTs, they are few and far between. And whether you realize it or not, we have measures in place should those MTs become a threat to our city. Our treaty, however, does not include more than those registered MTs in our city. In fact, it could even be considered a breach in contract that you’ve allowed a rogue MT to enter our country without our knowing it.”

“And I do apologize for the inconvenience this as caused you, your highness,” Ardyn responded, the words not even sounding close to sincere. “However, in order for us to fix this mistake we must be allowed to find the missing MT before anything atrocious happens to the precious city of Insomnia.”

Cor saw the king grimace, understanding a bit of what must be going on in his head. While they knew where the missing MT was, completely ignoring the threat the missing MT could make to Insomnia would likely make Niflheim suspicious. At the same time, allowing unknown MTs to just march through the streets of Insomnia sounded just as dangerous. While they were in a peaceful state with Niflheim, it didn’t mean they full out trusted them.

Eventually the king sighed closing his eyes for a moment before he opened them again looking at Ardyn. “I’ll think on the matter further. You should have your answer by tomorrow. This needs to be discussed further, not just with subjects here, but with the council as well.” Cor almost grunted at that. Aside from Clarus, the council could be pretty stubborn with these kinds of dealings. But the good thing was that they almost always went with the king’s decisions, whether they agreed with him or not. But it also meant putting the city on high alert in search of a missing MT already in their possession. It meant keeping him safe was going to become even harder. And if they did allow these different MTs to come into the city, they were going to have to put Prompto in the safest place possible.

“So, now that our meeting here is complete, Cor, can you please see Mr. Ardyn out?” Cor blinked looking at Regis before he nodded his head and walked over to the door, the Chancellor bowing before he walked with his unusual gait following behind Cor like a menacing shadow. 

“Until the morrow then, Your Highness,” Ardyn said smirking back at the king as he was walking past Cor about to walk out the open door Cor held open for him. But he paused just past Cor making him tense up as he looked up at the red head catching the smirk on Ardyn’s face as he looked down at his shirt. 

“Seems you’ve got a bit of hair on you there,” Ardyn said reaching down and plucking the blond hair from Cor’s shirt. Cor’s mouth opened but he didn’t get to respond feeling the chill run through him as the blond hair was held up beside his head with a grin. “Such a unique shade doesn’t match you at all.” Cor frowned as Ardyn hummed an odd tune holding the strand of hair as he continued on out the door. “See you soon.” The red head said the words with an almost deadly aura around him as he looked back at Cor smirking to take some of the bite out of the ominous way he’d said the words.

Cor swallowed more than happy to close the door in the man’s face before he turned around looking up at Clarus and Regis seeing the worried look on their faces too. They hadn’t heard what the red head said from the distance they were at, but from the startled look on Cor’s face they had to have known it couldn’t have been good. 

“It might be safer for the two of you to stay inside the Citadel until we resolve this,” Regis said standing up from the throne with the help of his cane, Clarus coming to his side instantly to assist him if he needed to. “Clarus informed me of the situation, and at this point…we have to be careful with our actions.”

“I really don’t trust that man,” Clarus said glaring at the door as he and the king walked down the steps from the throne to meet Cor down on the floor. 

“Trust him as far as you can throw him, huh?” Regis asked, looking towards the door before looking at his two closest friends. “So I suggest moving in by tonight if possible.” His eyes flickered over to Cor’s. “At least in the Citadel, we can monitor the missing MT as well as learn more about him.”

“Sounds like the best idea until we figure out our next plan,” Clarus said walking over and throwing an arm around Cor’s shoulders starting to grin as he dropped the councilman persona. “Besides, he should learn to associate with people around his own age. He looks like he’s probably about the same age as the prince.”

“And Noctis could do well with some interactions with people his age as well,” Regis said smiling. “While he does have Ignis and Gladio as support, I’m sure it’s hard for him to really be himself when he has to play prince to his advisor and shield.”

“I can understand that,” Clarus said letting Cor go as he looked at the king smirking as he folded his arms. “We probably wouldn’t have become as close as we did if it wasn’t for the fact that we ended up stuck together on that road trip long ago.” Cor remembered it well. While he himself had still been fairly young, probably even too young for what people would normally do at his age, he’d become attached to his king and their friends. Even though they still treated him like a kid even now.

“And you’re…ok with him interacting with the prince?” Cor asked staring at them.

“Noctis is plenty capable of taking care of himself,” Regis said before he started smiling. “Maybe a friend would help to make him open up more. Maybe it’d be good for the both of them.”

“Then…I’ll obtain a room for us to move into before tonight,” Cor said saluting the king. “If anything happens before then, I’ll be sure to contact you.”

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The blond had been pretty subdued this morning when Cor left for work, giving nothing more than one or two word answers as if his brain were fried. But now he could see the look of shock on the other’s face, a human action that at one point in his life must have been locked away behind the stoic face of indifference. 

“We’re…leaving?” Prompto asked staring at him, blue eyes having a shine to them that must have been an aftereffect of whatever technique Niflheim used to create the MTs in the first place. 

“Temporarily,” Cor said doing his best to give a confident look holding a small bag in his hands. “It’s possible that Niflheim may start conducting a more intensive search soon. To be on the safe side, we’ll stay inside the Citadel until things die down. Hopefully if everything goes right, they’ll give up on this little search and you’ll be completely free from their hold.” 

“Free…” The little kitten came to join them mewing as he brushed his back up against Prompto’s bare feet inciting an innocent smile from the blond. “Can Tiny come too?”

“…Tiny?” Cor lifted a brow at the name, Prompto looking up at him before nodding his head.

“Tiny, the cat. You told me to name him so…it’s the name I selected for him.”

“Tiny huh….” Cor rubbed at his chin looking down at the innocent kitty eyes staring up at him as the cat almost looked like he frowned at him for staring thanks to the shape of his lips. And while he didn’t think Tiny was the best name for the little cat, even if he was super tiny, Cor couldn’t bring himself to say no to it. Especially when Prompto had actually decided on a name. “Sounds like a nice name to me.” 

Prompto looked over at him and Cor couldn’t break his eyes away at the happiness that seemed to shine in his eyes. He’d definitely changed over the few days he’d been there. Between last night’s outburst and the glowing look of his eyes now, it was hard to believe so much had been hidden beneath a metal suit, that he’d been that unemotional robot at the very beginning. 

“Anyway,” Cor said continuing his conversation, Prompto’s eyes returning to Tiny at his feet as he reached down picking the kitten up. “Clarus believes it would be a good idea for you to…interact with peers.” When Prompto looked over at him confused, he cleared his throat deciding to clarify it better. “With people your age. Young people. For instance, the young prince is actually turning 20 in a couple of weeks. Gladiolus and Ignis, the prince’s close associates, are 23 and 22 respectively. And you look like you’re about their age so it’d be a good idea to learn some interactions from them. Find out what young people like to do and such.”

“…I think I’m fine. I don’t really think I need to meet anyone else.” Prompto’s eyes returned to the cat rubbing his back, a small frown on his lips almost matching the little Tiny’s look. “I’m fine with just you. I don’t need anyone else.”

Cor felt his eyes soften at the words standing up and walking over to sit beside the blond. He rested a hand on his knee reassuringly causing the other to tense up at the contact and look up at him. “I know you’re afraid of leaving, afraid of what’s out there. But this decision comes from beyond me. And I believe it would be the best thing for you.” When Prompto started to look away from him, he reached out resting his fingers on the other’s chin turning the face towards him gently so as not to startle him. “Those guys I mentioned before can teach you a wealth of knowledge a television or even I can’t teach you. You’ll be able to explore and learn and actually live. They are really good guys, trust me.”

Prompto stared at him before his eyes hardened and he finally nodded before his eyes traveled down to the bag in Cor’s hand. “What’s in there?”

“This?” Cor looked down at the bag and he smiled remembering it. There were a couple of things in there he wanted to give to the blond, his hand reaching in and pulling out the wrist band as he held it out to Prompto. “Wear this at all times. You never know what dangers are out there lurking. This will at least hide the barcode in case someone sees it that shouldn’t. We still have to take precautions even in the Citadel.”

Prompto nodded slipping the wristband on and snapping it in place fitting perfectly before he looked up at Cor again. “I’ll keep it on to protect myself.”

“Good,” Cor said nodding and pulling the next item out handing it to him.

“…A…camera?” Prompto stared down at it, his face twisting with confusion again before he looked up at Cor. “What is this for?”

“For pictures,” Cor said stating the obvious before sighing and rubbing at the back of his head. “It’s for you to take pictures while you’re with the others.” Prompto opened his mouth to speak but Cor cut him off quickly sure he was going to protest. “Look, just take pictures of things that catch your eye, of things you like. Then at the end of the day you can show them to me.”

Prompto’s mouth closed then looking down at the camera. He held it up looking through the viewfinder. Angling it down, he pushed the button making Tiny blink in confusion at the flash on his face before the blond pulled his head back staring down at the camera as a small smile appeared on his lips. “I think I’ll like this.”

“Good,” Cor said smiling. “It’s yours to keep so take good care of it.” Prompto nodded his head at him gracing him with another one of those rare smiles before he stood up. 

Did he smile this way for Ardyn? Did he even really know Ardyn? From the way he’d reacted yesterday, he must have. Cor didn’t want to think about what kind of things Ardyn could have done to him, to what he called his personal MT. The marshal remembered the look Ardyn had given him as he held the blond hair in his hand. The words he’d said about it being a unique shade. He had no doubts that Ardyn might be suspicious of the whereabouts of his missing MT. This was why they needed to move fast before their location was found. He was glad he’d disposed of the metal armor long ago.

“Then, I’ll be sure to take pictures while there to show to you,” he said staring at Cor and breaking him away from his thoughts.

“Good,” Cor said nodding to him before he stood from his chair. “There’s just one more thing we still have to do before the king lets it be official.”

Prompto blinked staring at him before tilted his head curiously. “What’s that?”

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Despite Clarus’s concerns, King Regis walked a circle around Prompto giving him a full on inspection as he stared at the blond, eyes wide with awe. He looked like a weird scientist with a new discovery the way he was eyeing Prompto. 

“Astrals,” Regis said in awe stopping in front of Prompto and ignoring how the blond seemed to press more into Cor’s protective side ogling him. “He moves just like a real human.”

“That’s because he is a human,” Clarus said frowning a bit as he glanced up at Cor. “At least, as far as we know. A full body scan would clear that up quick but I doubt our guest would appreciate us probing him unwillingly.”

“Right,” Cor said giving him a look and ignoring how his friends smirked at him when he rested a hand on Prompto’s side pulling him closer into his protective embrace. Say what they will, but he wasn’t about to let the young blond go through anything bad ever again if he could avoid it. 

“You said you wanted to see him,” Cor said giving a sigh as he looked at Regis and at how he was bent poking at Prompto’s fingers like he’d just found a new hobby, Prompto moving his hand back behind him before he could be touched. “So if we’re done here, can we leave now?”

“Not quite yet,” Regis said finally standing up straight frowning a bit as he stared at Cor. “After all, we are talking about something that could change the way we see the MTs. And if this is what Niflheim is doing in their free time then it’s better that we learn as much as we can to stop this diabolical thing from happening to more people.”

Regis returned his eyes to Prompto before he held out his hand, letting his eyes gaze down at the arm wearing the wristband. “May I see?”

Prompto tensed hesitating as he looked up at Cor for permission.

“Go ahead,” Cor said frowning at the look. He wasn’t his master…but sometimes he felt like Prompto might be treating him as such. Prompto looked at Regis again before slowly lifting his arm and removing the wristband before resting his hand on Regis’s open palm. Regis gripped the hand softly lifting it up and turning it over to stare at the barcode tattooed into the skin. 

“If he truly is a human, then Niflheim is branding their humans like animals. If that is the case then I can say with clarity that Lucis cannot and does not condone these sorts of conditions.” Regis looked up at his face staring into his eyes. “Just what else are they doing to you all?”

“His eyes used to be red,” Cor said softly, changing the subject when he saw Prompto at a loss on what to say in response to the king’s question. “But I believe that whatever they were using on him before must have worn off. I haven’t seen them turn red since I got home.”

“Good,” Regis said letting the hand go not bothered by how Prompto pulled the hand back to him protectively. “It saves us from having to invest in special contacts.”

“You’ll keep us up to date on everything happening,” Clarus said watching Prompto slip the wristband back on before looking at Cor for an answer. 

“Of course,” Cor said nodding his head. “And I’ll stay with him and observe how he interacts with everyone.” It wasn’t as though he planned on leaving Prompto alone in an unfamiliar area. 

“Oh, what’s that there?” Regis said pointing to Prompto’s side.

Prompto looked down at the pouch before he reached down pulling the camera free showing it to Regis. “It’s a camera.” He looked at them gracing them with the first smile he’d given since getting there. “Cor got it for me.” 

“Oh did he now?” Regis asked grinning mischievously as he looked at Cor. “Well, I won’t keep you all waiting longer. Why don’t we call it a day and save meeting the prince until tomorrow?” He walked back over to stand beside Clarus. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Prompto.” 

“Likewise?” Prompto frowned looking over at Cor to see if that was the correct thing to say and smiled when he saw the nod of approval. He was definitely going to have to teach Prompto that it was ok to speak his mind.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this wasn't too wacky. XD I still had fun with this chapter though.

The meeting with Ignis, Gladiolus, and Noctis took place in Noctis's room at the Citadel. Cor felt it'd be simpler to meet with them all this way while maintaining some privacy. He had no intentions of telling them what Prompto was as the only ones that knew besides him where Regis and Clarus. Instead, they'd come up with another, more prominent plan for who Prompto was and why he was here.

"I'd like you all to meet Prompto Argentum," Cor said gesturing to the boy hiding partly behind him. The last name had been borrowed from an old, deceased couple here in Insomnia and would less likely raise questions of his relation to them since there would be no one to ask. Reaching back he gently rested a hand on the small of Prompto's back pushing him forward and smiling slightly when the younger male stumbled and looked back at him in surprise.

"He's here from Tenebrae as an exchange student to learn more about the city of Insomnia and the functions of the Citadel. This was a decision made by King Regis himself and considering the age range, he felt it best that he learns from peers around his own age…meaning the three of you. If you wouldn't mind him following you around during some of your daily tasks, that would help a lot. He's not really…familiar with people his age since he was mostly homeschooled."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prompto," Ignis said giving a mild smile as he stepped forward gesturing to himself. "My name is Ignis Scientia. I am the advisor for young Prince Noctis here." He said it while gesturing in Noctis's direction, the young prince unable to do nothing more than just give an awkward wave in response as he stared at Prompto.

"And I'm Gladio Amicitia, the prince's shield." Walking up, Gladio held a hand out to him grinning big. "Welcome to Insomnia." Prompto hesitated looking back at Cor and only waiting until he saw Cor's nod before he looked down at the hand and hesitantly grabbed it seeming surprised to receive what Cor assumed to be the first handshake he'd ever had.

"Since I'm his entourage, I'll be sticking around until he gets used to things. But I'd appreciate it if you took good care of him."

"We'll take good care of him," Ignis said smiling and giving a slight bow to Cor. "You have our word, Marshal."

Cor grunted and nodded walking over to the window and looking out at the city letting the four of them warm up to each other. He figured at least for the first week, he'd come with Prompto until he grew comfortable around the others. Once he'd be able to function without him around, he could start up on doing more such as investigating into Chancellor Ardyn and his part in the whole MT creation.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Prompto perked up at the knock to their room door before he was up and moving, opening it before Cor could even say anything. Cor already knew who it was as the door closed and Noctis walked into what was more or less like their little accommodations at the Citadel. It was similar to that of an apartment having a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a laundry room, and two bathrooms, one which was situated inside the master bedroom.

Prompto had been watching TV on the couch before Noctis's arrival while Cor worked on some paperwork at the kitchen table involving some new recruits. They'd only been there about a couple of weeks and already Prompto had opened up pretty broadly to the prince of Insomnia. Cor learned a lot as he observed the interactions between the two, such as the fact that Prompto could actually talk a lot when around people he was comfortable with. Whether it was from nerves or excitement though, he wasn't sure.

As the two of them sat on the couch and Prompto started talking animatedly about the show he was watching, Cor returned his eyes to his work deciding not to show the bit of frustration he felt building up inside of him. While he was happy with Prompto's progress and with how much he'd branched away from being the quiet boy of the past, he missed the constant shadow of the other hovering around him. He didn't talk nearly as much as he did when he was around Noctis though Cor was at least still graced with a few of those rare smiles of his. And he did get to see his excitement at the end of the day when he showed him the images in his camera sometimes so he guessed that would make up for some of it. Besides, it was good to see him finding friendship in others his own age.

"Meow."

Cor looked down at Tiny, the small kitty looking up at him with that same little frown on his lips before the marshal smiled down at him reaching down to rub under his chin. "I take this to mean you want some attention, huh?" Picking the kitten up, he allowed the small guy to nestle in his lap, gently rubbing around his tail before he looked down at his work trying to tune out the conversation happening on the couch.

"…the ice cream shop, yesterday…"

"…was ok…burger shop was better…"

"…hit the arcade today."

Cor blinked at the flow of conversation as he stopped rubbing, focusing his ears to listen in on what they were talking about.

"Think we could hit up the candy store first before we go?" Prompto asked, body facing Noctis as he stared at him excitedly.

"I don't see why not?" Noctis said shrugging his shoulders before he smirked at him. "Not like it'll help you get any better at it."

"Dude, I'd totally kick your ass at any game in there."

Dude? Totally? Ass? What the hell had Prompto been watching to pick up that kind of language? No, that wasn't the issue here.

"Prompto, have you been leaving out of the Citadel?" Cor asked, frowning as he stared at Prompto, watching and hating how the other tensed up at the sound of his voice. Since when did that start happening?

"I uh…" Prompto bit his lips, his eyes cutting over to Cor before they quickly looked down submissively, as if he'd suddenly reverted back to that quiet boy before.

"You know you're not supposed to leave out of the Citadel," Cor said frowning deeper despite the defeated look on the other's deflating body language. "What if something had happened to you?"

"Chill. He was fine," Noctis said turning his glare to Cor. "He was with me the whole time. You can't honestly expect him to stay holed up in this boring-"

"N-Noct," Prompto stuttered, cutting the other boy off as he kept his eyes on the ground. "Noct, he's right. I…I shouldn't have left. I knew better and I still did it anyway." He looked up at Cor again making the older man feel like he'd literally cut him as he saw the unshed tears shining in his eyes along with a bit of fear. "Cor, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Don't send me away, please!"

Cor sighed staring at the wet eyes before he gestured for him to come closer. He saw the blond tense up and bite his lips nervously, saw him shuffle to stand before walking over to him keeping his eyes on the floor. He didn't know what caused these reactions sometimes, didn't know why Prompto had suddenly starting showing fear towards him at times. But he didn't like it one bit.

Cor stood holding Tiny on his shoulder as the boy got closer, waiting until he was in front of him before he reached down resting a hand on top of his head. "I'm not mad at you," Cor said softly ruffling his hair and smiling a bit when the eyes looked up at him in surprise.

"You're…you're not?"

"No, I'm not. Worried, yes because you know what could happen if we're not careful. I worry for your safety as well as your wellbeing."

"Then…then I won't go out again, Cor." He looked up at him as if the decision was so simple. "I'll stay inside the Citadel." Cor nodded his head slowly before looking past Prompto to Noctis who was sitting on the couch staring at them like he was watching a really weird movie playing.

"Ok…I'm definitely missing out on something important here," Noctis said as he stood up folding his arms over his chest. "Care to tell me what's going on here?"

Sighing, Cor sank back down into his chair before he looked at the two of them gesturing for them to have a seat at the table. He waited until they were both settled down before he continued, deciding to fill the prince in on the details. He wasn't doing any good to keep the secret from him seeing as he stayed around Prompto so much. Maybe knowing what Prompto was and why it was important to keep him indoors would help to deter his need to take him outside.

It seemed to be working because the more Cor explained, the deeper Noctis's frown grew and the more Prompto started to fidget in his seat.

"So…Prompto's an MT?"

Cor nodded his head staring across at him as he tapped his pen against the papers in front of him, Tiny dozing in his lap comfortably again. "Apparently there was a malfunction somewhere with his suit and it's how he ended up at my home. But I can guarantee that despite what you may believe him to be, he is most definitely human." At least as far as he knew. Further testing would still be a good idea but he was apt to believe from watching Prompto that he was as human as humans come.

"If you…don't want to hang out with me anymore, that's fine," Prompto said though the look on his face didn't agree with the words. "I know it's weird hanging out with something like me."

"Someone like you," Noctis said correcting him as he reached out resting a hand on Prompto's shoulder giving him a smile. "And it's not weird at all. You're…pretty cool even if you are a dork."

Prompto stared back at him before that rare smile appeared on his lips as he playfully shoved at Noctis. "Who you calling a dork, nerd?" The two boys laughed falling back into that companionable state that made Cor both happy and envious at the same time. It was true that it was safer for Prompto to stay inside the Citadel, but he could imagine that being stuck inside the same place for so long could drive a person to boredom. Maybe he could make an exception every so often. There was a festival going on tomorrow night, right? One where people wore costumes and masks to keep the daemons away? It'd be a perfect setup and the mask would help to hide Prompto's identity and unique blond hair.

"It is true that I want you to stay inside the Citadel for your safety," Cor said gaining both of their attention. "Right now Niflheim Industry is looking for you. Specialized MTs are being used to try to find you and return you to the industry. So you understand how dangerous it is right now for you to go out, correct?"

"I…I understand," Prompto said before licking at his lips nervously, Noctis giving him a sympathetic look. "I'll stay inside so I don't get caught."

"Good," Cor said giving him a stern look before his allowed his features to soften. "Now then…there is a festival happening tomorrow night in the city. People usually dress up and wear mask when traversing the event. It's part of tradition to dress up in order to keep the daemon away as daemon are often more active during this particular time. It's said that the Starscourge become much more powerful on this night in its search for humans to inhabit and that if you're not wearing a costume to fend it off, that you might yet become a demon yourself should the Starscourge enter you."

"Of course, it's just a myth," Noctis said running away the panic starting to grow in Prompto's eyes. "No one's ever turned into a daemon before, with or without a costume."

"True," Cor said giving Noctis a look before returning his eyes to Prompto's. "But still, if I am to let you roam the festivities, I expect you to wear your costume and your mask at all times."

Prompto blinked staring at him before his eyes grew big as the words finally hit him. "Y-You mean I can go?!"

"As long as you stay by my side, yes. We still have to be cautious even in this type of setting." Tiny stood up in his lap yawning as he stretched pushing his butt out before he hopped up onto the table wandering over to where Prompto was purring with contentment as he was petted. "Highness, if you don't mind help find Prompto a suitable costume and mask."

"Of course," Noctis said snorting. "Though Ignis is the expert when it comes to finding something good."

"It may be good to let them know about the situation," Cor said trusting the advisor and shield that stayed at Noctis's side much like he and Clarus did for Regis. "In the privacy of your chambers that is." Noctis seemed to get the hint because he nodded his head before he stood up looking down at Prompto with a smile. "Well, I've still got some free time before sparring with Gladio and my lessons with Ignis if you want to come hang out in my room."

"As long as we get to play some King's Knight," Prompto said grinning as he held up the phone Cor bought him a couple of weeks back. If he wasn't going to stay by Cor's side 24/7 then at least Cor could keep in contact with him whenever he needed to. Even if the most Prompto used the phone for was to play King's Knight. He knew the basics of using it but he was sure Noctis would teach the blond everything he needed to know, especially now that he knew what he was…or really who he was.

Tiny gave a disgruntle meow when Prompto stood up stopping the much wanted petting that resulted in Tiny returning to Cor's side staring up at him expectantly.

"You're spoiled," Cor said to the tiny cat reaching up and watching the eyes close as he rubbed under his chin. The kitten didn't seem to care about his words enjoying the pets as he lay partly on Cor's papers. Well, it seemed like a good time for a break anyway.

As the two younger males left the room, Cor stood up to walk to the fridge intent on getting a snack until dinner before his cellphone ringing on the table stopped him from going any further. He frowned and walked over to the table picking up his phone to answer it, Tiny staring up at him lazily having no intent on leaving the comfort of his paperwork.

"Leonis speaking," he said into the phone. He felt himself frowning at the tidbit of information being thrown his way before he was speaking again responding to Clarus. "I'll be there in five minutes." He sighed figuring food would have to wait for now as he reached down rubbing along the cat's back. "I'll be back. Try not to destroy anything while I'm gone." He only got a quiet mew in return and a small frown before he was heading out the door and towards the king's chambers.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"They found the missing MT," Clarus said glancing up at Cor, the words spoken as soon as Cor closed the door and walked in. Regis sat at his desk, Clarus ever at his side. Another man sat in the recliner in front of the desk while another, young man stood to the other man's side looking for the entire world like he wished he were somewhere else. He stayed at attention though, not even glancing at the other vacant recliner that Cor debated sitting in before he decided to stay standing. Instead, he walked closer to the desk leaning on the wall beside it finding comfort with having the solid wall behind his back.

He didn't make a comment to Clarus's words, despite feeling his face frown up in response but he nodded waiting to hear more of what had to be said, his eyes returning to the other two men present. Kingsglaive from the look of their uniforms and the certain way they carried themselves. He recognized Titus Drautos, Captain of the Kingsglaive whom he'd seen on a few occasions in the throne room when Regis gave orders for either of their two groups for special tasks and missions. Such as this very one where the Kingsglaive were monitoring the movements of the special MTs as they searched for the missing MT they would never find. Except, it seemed Cor was wrong about something somehow from what Clarus had said when he entered the room.

"Where exactly did they find it?" Cor asked keeping the suspicion from his voice. From the way Clarus glanced over at him, he must have been feeling much the same. Something wasn't right.

"That's exactly what we're about to find out," Regis said before focusing on Drautos. "If you would please." At the words, Drautos nodded and glanced over at the younger man beside him. The glaive standing at attention cleared his throat before starting to speak directing his words to Regis.

"My name is Nyx Ulric. I am part of the Kingsglaive and was one of the ones on duty at the time. It was at the dead of night when two of the specialty created MTs came across a storehouse in the marketplace. Inside, they found the missing MT and subdued it before it could escape again."

"Seems a bit out of place. Are you sure they didn't get it mixed up with a wrong one?"

"We asked the store owner about it," Nyx said frowning a bit as he glanced at Drautos. "However, he admits to never having own an MT before and that the storehouse was empty before he closed for the day. Also the door had been broken into so I really doubt the owner would destroy his own property."

"True…" Clarus said slowly before he looked over at Regis. The king was looking back at him, the exchange between them happening without words. Cor focused his own attention on Drautos and Nyx. Nyx…he was sure he'd heard the name before. He had close ties with Lunafreya, the princess of Tenebrae. Ever since he saved her from tumbling off a high ledge in her last visit to the Citadel, the two had stroked a bit of a connection to each other. One that seemed lacking between Noctis and Lunafreya besides that of a pretty good friendship.

He had expected Noctis to marry Luna when the two had gotten older, but nothing much had blossomed from it and the young prince of Lucis remained single to this day amongst speculation from the elderly in the city. There was no rush though. The prince had only just recently reached the age of twenty. And he liked to assume that Prompto was very close to his age as well based on his looks since they lacked any information whatsoever about the young blond.

"I guess this would be considered case closed on the matter," King Regis said pushing up to his feet, Drautos standing as well. "Good work to you all. If I could have you all to make sure that those MTs that came in search of the missing MT have evacuated our borders to return to their own lands, it would be much appreciated."

"Yes, your highness," Drautos said bowing to him before he looked up at him. "If there is no further need of us, we shall attend to the tasks at hand."

"That is all for now," At the king's words, Drautos bowed to him again, Nyx following suit before the two of them left the chambers closing the door behind them. Cor debated whether he should follow as well but the way the king was looking at him, there was more that needed to be discussed.

"I take it you would like to have a word with me," Cor said frowning as Regis gestured for him to have a seat. He hesitated for a moment, watching the two of them cautiously before he walked over to the recliner sitting down.

"Now then," Regis said eyeing him as he sat back down himself resting elbows on the desk as he placed his chin on top of his hands staring at Cor. "What say you about the news of the missing MT being found?"

Cor frowned fighting back the urge to squirm at the look in those eyes. He couldn't tell what the king was thinking, but he could imagine it. Could imagine that Regis may have felt he'd been lied to. But Cor knew, deep down inside, that he was right. The elaborate metal armor that Prompto wore, the way the boy had acted when he'd first seen him. How he'd seemed more machine than human with his red glowing eyes. The way he's slowly started to change becoming the more outgoing boy he saw now, around Noctis anyway. It couldn't have been a lie.

"I think…something isn't right," Cor said, his eyes looking from Regis to Clarus. "I've seen the suit. I actually dismantled it myself just to get Prompto out of it. I know for a fact that he is the missing MT. The way the headgear was damaged, the words he said to me first, quoting violations that only an MT would really know. And that red in his eyes that's no longer present. I'm almost certain he's the real missing MT."

"…I agree as well," Clarus said rubbing at his graying stubbles. "I've seen the kid before when he was in the middle of a panic attack. The red eyes were definitely there and he showed some definite fears of Niflheim." Clarus frowned. "But it doesn't explain why or even how they found a missing MT in the storehouse?"

"Maybe as a diversion or a false sense of security," Regis said frowning as he closed his eyes thinking. "If we think we're safe, we'll most likely lower our guard. With the special MTs gone there would be no reason for Prompto to stay confined inside the Citadel."

"It would be safe to say that they know we have him," Clarus said finishing off Regis's thoughts with a grunt.

"…So are we to continue to keep him confined to the Citadel?" Cor asked. He thought of his plans for tomorrow night, of taking Prompto out into the city for the festival. While the thought of having to upset the blond with the prospect of having to miss out tomorrow's festivities bothered him, he knew it was the lesser of two evils between that and keeping him safe.

"On the contrary, let's go along with it," Regis said starting to gain a bit of a cocky grin to his lips. "After all, what better way to draw out an enemy than giving them what they want?"

Cor hesitated frowning a bit before he looked at them both. "Well…I had intended to take him to the festival tomorrow since he's been confined inside for so long." At least for as long as he wasn't sneaking out with Noctis. He cleared his throat continuing on.

"It isn't a bad idea," Clarus said tapping his chin. "But…I'm more for an open face venture. Isn't the festival theme to wear a mask? No use trying to draw out the enemy if we're keeping the bait in hiding."

"…The prince did have plans earlier to take him to the arcade before I intervened," Cor admitted trying not to tense up when Regis looked up at him.

"Noctis?" Regis's full attention was on the words as he smiled at Cor invitingly. "How has my son been around our guest?"

"They're…almost inseparable," Cor admitted frowning as he thought back to it. To how closely the two were and how easily Noctis seemed to make Prompto smile. Everything that Cor felt like he was incapable of doing. "The prince does seem to have made a best friend out of him. And Prompto seems to reciprocate the feeling."

"I see," Regis said rubbing at his mustache. "It is good to see that he does have a friend. Not one that is forced on him but one that he's able to choose for himself."

"…And they're addicted to video games."

Clarus chuckled at that getting a sparkle in his eye as he smirked. "Finally too old to keep up with the cool kids, aren't you Cor?"

"Now now," Regis said chastising his advisor and shield even as his eyes shared that same twinkle of mischief. "Cor is still the youngest amongst us. Why, he's only just now starting to reach the gray side." Cor frowned reflexively reaching up to touch his head. He didn't have that many gray strands. Maybe one or two here and there but really…he wasn't that old was he?

"Anyway," Cor said before giving a sigh as he stood to his feet feeling this was a good time to get out of the room before the two really started teasing him. "I'll take him around the city. Get him used to the sights here and maybe check out if there really are people sent by the empire to spy on us."

"I'll inform Drautos of our plan of action," Clarus said walking over to him. "Maybe tell him that we're concerned about the Empire having spies in the city and we want them on guard in case anything happens. If there are people from the Empire here, then we're better safe than sorry. I'll send his phone number to you later. If you see anything out of the ordinary, call him and he'll send his nearest glaive to your destination."

"After all, we do need to protect our exchange student from Tenebrae." Clarus looked up at him grinning as he slapped Cor's shoulder harshly almost making him tumble off balance. "Have fun at the arcade."

Cor grunted in response barely glancing at the king to give him a nod and doing his best to ignore the smirk on the king's face as he turned leaving the room and the constant teasing that the youngest of their group always had to endure.

TBC….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also hope I didn't mess up Drautos and Nyx too much since this is my first time writing them. I'll probably start jumping around from different POVs soon so it most likely might not always be from Cor's POV. But we'll see. *shrugs*


	6. Chapter 6

"Noct! This way! This way!"

"I heard you. Calm down, will you?" Despite the words, Noctis laughed before smiling as he followed Prompto around the arcade, the two of them finding a shooting game to play. Cor watched calmly in the background, his attention on both Prompto and the surrounding area. So far things were good. There were no indications of them being followed.

Prompto stood in front of the shooting game, holding his gun like a professional as he pointed it at the screen. Noctis didn't seem to notice how the other's face grew serious as he focused on the enemies on the screen before taking enemies out one by one. Even if it was just a game, he commanded a lot of skills to be able to focus on killing the targets. Cor hated to admit that it reminded him of a trained fighter, possibly even a trained machine with the mechanical way he moved.

"Damn, you're good at this game," Noctis said wiping at his forehead as he put his gun away, the screen flashing with game over. "You sure you've never played one of these before?"

"Not since the last time you asked me that," Prompto said smiling at him sheepishly as he sat the gun down bouncing his way over to Cor with a grin. "Did you get all of that?"

"Hm?" Prompto's eyes looked down and Cor followed the action looking to the camera he was holding in his hands. Oh right…he'd been tasked with taking photos of their big arcade adventure. "Sorry…afraid I was a bit distracted."

"Distracted?" Prompto looked up at him again frowning a bit as he tilted his head to the side in concern. "Something on your mind?" Cor stared down at the blue eyes staring up at him, trying not to get lost in the younger male's gaze. He couldn't figure out his physical attraction to the blond, starting to notice the little things about him even though he was out of his reach. Such as the details of all his freckles, the small mole on his shoulder, the way he'd bite his lips and glance away when he got nervous.

He didn't want to think about how he was starting to notice these things. It was bad enough that he felt envious of Noctis's closeness to Prompto. Prompto was far too young for him. Someone older, closer to Cor's age would be best, would be normal even. Perhaps the feelings were being developed due to how protective he was of him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Cor said instead reaching out and resting a hand on top of Prompto's head ruffling his hair. Prompto's eyes closed as he laughed reaching up to grab the hand as he pouted staring up at Cor.

"Hey you're messing up my hair," he said before his lips turned up into a soft smile. "Yeah, I am though. I've never done anything like this before. Noctis calls it hanging out. It's actually pretty fun."

"Hanging out, huh?" Cor looked down at the camera still in his hand before he held it out to Prompto giving him something of a smile. "Here. You're better suited at this than I am."

"I'm not an expert at taking photos though." Even though Prompto had been taking perfectly good photos since he'd gotten his hands on the camera as if he had this innate ability for photography. The look on his face changed to a somber as he looked down fumbling with the camera. "I might not be normal…to be honest I don't know what I am…." He looked up at Cor again showing him just how many emotions he'd learned to show over the weeks they'd been together. "But I'm glad you gave me this opportunity to live like I'm normal."

"Prompto…" Cor started to say more but clamped his mouth shut when his eyes caught something standing at the entrance to the arcade. An MT. It looked like one of the older models as it didn't seem nearly as elaborate as the suit Prompto had been subject to wear. Either way, having one here of all places seemed out of place as he subtly stood in front of Prompto blocking his view.

"Cor?"

"I don't recall there being an MT registered to this location," Cor said frowning a bit as he kept his voice low.

"There wasn't one here before," Prompto responded, his voice automatically reverting back to that devoid place of emotions. Cor glanced back at the blond seeing the other's eyes closed as he frowned with concentration clutching his hands to his chest. "But I'm definitely feeling it. It isn't the only one here either. There's more in the surrounding areas." When he opened his eyes again, there was the faint coloring of red before it slowly faded into the blue hue he was used to seeing.

"We should probably call it a day," Cor said, Noctis walking over after noticing the change in demeanor. "It's not safe here."

"Is something wrong?" Noctis asked looking between the two of them. Cor's eyes flickered towards the door and he knew Noctis caught it because his eyes narrowed before he started to frown. "We should head out the back way."

"That sounds like a good idea," Cor said watching the MT as it started walking around in the arcade completely looking out of place in such an enjoyable place. "The two of you start heading back to the citadel. I want to have a discussion with the arcade owner. Be careful on the way back. And don't sidetrack."

"Wasn't planning on it," Noctis said eyeing him a moment before he turned to Prompto. "Let's get going before it spots us."

"Ah…r-right." Prompto nodded, the two of them cautiously heading for the back exit while Cor kept his eyes on the MT. Finding one of the workers in the arcade and flashing his Citadel badge, he told the worker to inform him if the MT left the arcade before he started for the owner's office. Stopping in front of the office, there was only a mild moment of hesitation before he frowned and opened up the door.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Noctis was silent as he headed back with Prompto. He was too focused on looking around and making sure they weren't being followed to fully pay attention to the red glow that kept flashing in Prompto's eyes or how the blonde's eyes seemed to dart around rapidly as if feeling and pinpointing the enemies.

"Do you think Cor will be ok?" Prompto asked glancing over at Noctis, his eyes a steady blue as they looked at him. "Do you think he'll get hurt?"

"Do you have any idea who you're talking about?" Noctis asked before giving a confident smirk. "Cor is the marshal. He's Cor the Immortal. He once went to one of the worst dungeons in the world and walked out completely unscathed…so I was told." Noctis smiled reaching over and hitting his shoulder with a light fist. "Don't worry, something like this is child's play to him."

"I hope so," Prompto said frowning appearing to shrink back into that shell Noctis had worked hard to pull him from weeks ago. He wanted to say something, to pull him away from that strange funk that Niflheim had no doubt placed there. But he couldn't find the words to use and instead started walking forward, Prompto moving to walk beside him. "There's one behind us."

Noctis tensed up at the words. "Is it the one from the arcade?"

"No…this one's different."

Noctis glanced back seeing the MT walking in the crowd. He could easily have been on an errand from his master but Noctis had the feeling he was on a different kind of errand. "Stay close," Noctis said waiting until Prompto nodded continuing on. He couldn't help worrying about just how many of these MTs were wandering about looking for them.

"T-There's…more of them," Prompto said, his voice a little jittery as he said it. "I can…feel them."

"You can feel them?" Noctis asked looking over seeing the worry in Prompto's eyes.

"It's weird but…I can feel them trying to find me. They don't know where I am but they're looking for me." That wasn't a good sign. Did the MTs have some kind of special kind of link to each other? If that was the case, wouldn't they have found him by now? What could possibly make it where they were trying to find him so desperately now?

"Oof!"

"Oh my, how rude of me." The red head smiled kindly at Noctis as he bowed holding his hat on his head. "My apologies on part of my clumsiness. You see I am actually looking for a friend of mine and in the midst of that, I seem to have lost my way."

"It's…fine, I guess," Noctis said glancing over at Prompto seeing how tense he'd gotten. His eyes were wide but he looked down, his bangs covering his eyes from view as a deep frown settled on his lips. "Sorry I can't help but we're in a hurry."

"It's fine, really." The man responded flippantly before looking up, his eyes twinkling suddenly. "Perhaps I can ask a capable MT for help." The way he said it, the way his eyes flickered over to Prompto put Noctis on high alert as he shifted to the side blocking the man's view of the blond.

"There are some down the street behind us that you can ask," Noctis said staring up at the man. "Sorry we can't help, but we have to go." He reached back grabbing Prompto's wrist missing the look the red head gave the covered wrist as Noctis started off quickly dragging the blond along behind him. Glancing back, he tried not to feel bothered by the sinister smirk on the red head's face. Prompto's eyes were wide shining with a bright glow of red that startled Noctis at the sudden vividness of it. He'd never seen his eyes do that before and it bothered him enough that he pulled the two of them into a nearby empty alley before turning around and resting his hands on Prompto's shoulders gripping him tight.

"Prompto…" When the other didn't respond to the call of his name, Noctis gripped him tighter before saying his name more forcefully. "Prompto!" The blond gasped, his eyes blinking before focusing on Noctis staring up at him. "Relax, ok?" Noctis stepped back giving him a confident smile. "We're safe for now but we're not completely out of the woods. But until then, you have to keep it together, alright?"

"Noc…tis…" Slowly he nodded his head before the red started to fade away as he swallowed getting some of his confidence back. "R-Right…"

"I won't let anyone hurt you, got it?" Noctis smiled lightly hitting a knuckle against his cheek. "So let's head back."

Even though there was still nervousness in his voice, Prompto still laughed as he reached out holding Noctis's hand giving him a smile. "Yeah. Let's head back." Noctis looked down at the hand trying to ignore the warmth it made him feel. It wasn't often that he got to hear the other laugh, but when he did it was like the sun coming out to greet them. He really could listen to it forever and be full of satisfaction for the rest of his life.

Maybe the Astrals were on their side because they ran into no more strange instances the rest of the way back despite staying on high alert. He felt relieved to see Ignis and Gladio there to greet them, their own worried expressions changing to reprieve at the sight of them.

"Are the two of you alright?" Ignis asked walking up to meet them.

"Y-Yeah," Noctis said frowning as he glanced back behind him. "For the most part."

"It's my fault," Prompto started up, turning apologetic eyes on Noctis. "I shouldn't have even agreed to going out. I knew they were after me but I still…"

"Hey." Noctis rested a hand on his shoulder smiling confidently. "We all agreed on you going out, didn't we? Besides, there's no fun in staying locked up forever."

"And no harm done, right?" Gladio grinned resting his hand on Prompto's other shoulder giving a squeeze. "You're still safe." Noctis nodded his agreement turning his attention back towards the direction the arcade was in. He hoped that Cor was still doing ok. He was sure the older man could take care of himself just fine. Hell, the man had so much experience on his belt he probably didn't have space for another notch. Noctis himself was only just beginning to punch a hole in his own belt.

He glanced over at Gladio, the other catching his eye seeming to understand the look. He was going to have to become more serious with his training. Otherwise, how else was he going to protect Prompto if the others weren't around?

The freckled blond gave a gasp when Noctis pulled him closer by the shoulder holding him near to him protectively. He imagined that Prompto could protect himself if he really was an MT but it didn't change the fact that he still wanted to be the one to protect him. "How about we train on defense with Gladio? Might help a bit before we go to the festival."

Prompto stared at him in surprise making Noctis's heart thump in his chest at the look on his face. "We're…still going to the festival?"

"Well…yeah," Noctis said grinning to cover up the sudden heat he felt spreading in his chest. "It only happens once a year. You've got to experience it if you plan on truly learning about Insomnia, Mr. Exchange Student."

Prompto stared back at him before he burst into laughter rubbing at his eyes. "Fine. I'll eat junk food and play games like a true Insomnian." The laughter died down as Prompto's eyes focused on him again. "Thanks, Noct." When the radiant smile appeared on Prompto's face, Noctis found himself having to look away as he cleared his throat rubbing at his cheek with a finger.

"Right then, gentlemen," Ignis said walking up to them and resting a hand on their shoulders smiling. "Shall we eat and try on your festival clothes before you get all dirty and sweaty?"

"Like we won't get all dirty and sweaty walking around in them during the festival," Noctis said grinning. "But fine. Let's grab some grub." As the four of them were starting to head into the Citadel amongst Prompto's exclamation that he was starving, Noctis faltered in his steps looking back behind him. He'd felt like, just for a moment, eyes were following him. There was nothing there though, aside from some guards standing at attention ever watching for danger. Perhaps he was just imagining things.

"Noct, hurry up or I'm going to eat your portions!" Prompto yelled at him from the top of the steps smiling and regaining his full attention.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He bounded his way up the steps to catch up to the others waiting on him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"What's the report?" Regis's focus was out the window of his bedroom. He wasn't the one that spoke though as Clarus poured tea into a cup, glancing up at Cor standing at attention by the door.

"Right…well…" At the look Regis gave him, he sighed forcing himself to relax in a normal stance trying to ignore the approving smile the king gave him. "The arcade owner is dead. Murdered in his office."

"Murdered?" Regis's eyes rose up as he reached out grabbing the cup of tea and saucer that Clarus had prepared for him.

"Was it the MT you mentioned that killed him?" Clarus asked making sure that Regis securely had the cup before going back to the table to make another. Cor had explained a bit of what happened on his way back. He was relieved to know that both Prompto and Noctis had made it back safely. Had he had his own choice in the matter, he would have gone with them.

"Based on the evidence we received, it isn't likely," Cor said in response to the question. "He'd been dead for at least since morning based on the coroner's inspection. Camera footage showed that a hooded figure had entered the arcade owner's office late last night and hadn't exited the room until early this morning, after the owner appeared to open up the store. I find it amazing that none of the workers had bothered to check up on the owner." He frowned grabbing the tea Clarus offered to him. "The MT didn't appear until sometime after we had arrived and been there a while."

"This means we'll have to question the workers about their involvement with the store owner." Clarus nodded at his own words rubbing at his scruffy chin in thought before starting on working to make his own tea. "So then why was the MT there?"

"I ran the serial number on the MT and found a Mrs. Illudia to be the owner of the MT," Cor said pausing to sip his tea before he continued. "She's an elderly lady that said she sent the MT out to buy groceries for her and that she wasn't sure why it went to the arcade when its set duties were to go to the store. She even allowed me the access code to see the list of duties the MT was currently given. Nowhere in that list was there an order to go to the arcade."

Cor sipped at his tea as he thought about it. No way was it all just a coincidence that the MT ended up in the same location as Prompto. But they weren't the specialized unit of MTs this time, just the normal everyday MTs that he'd seen around the city before. He wondered if the units housed more humans similar to Prompto. He'd only been lucky that Prompto's suit had malfunctioned allowing him a glimpse inside to see the human body within. But what about the others that were trapped inside of a suit forever? What if the others were really just machines after all and Prompto was just a special case? He wanted to know more about them…but doing so would trigger Niflheim's suspicions.

"So the festival should still be on for tomorrow night, correct?"

Cor hesitated before looking up at Clarus and Regis frowning. While he'd rather keep Prompto from going out after this incident, it wasn't as though the MT chased after him. It was weird that the MT was in the arcade to begin with, and the murder was suspicious as well, but as of right now neither of the things seemed linked together. "I'd feel more comfortable if we had security around the vicinity just in case."

"It's not a bad idea," Clarus said finishing up the tea in his hand. "However, too much security makes people feel uncomfortable. We don't want to give out that impression."

"Then sending a handful of glaives to blend in should suffice just in case something does happen," Regis added in seeing the bothered look on Cor's face. While Cor could hide the expressions pretty well, the king still had a way with being able to read his subjects' moods. "Say…four of them, including Drautos himself?"

"That…might work," Cor said agreeing to the arrangement. He had no intentions of letting Prompto out of his sight again. He was already anxious to see how he was doing despite Noctis's text earlier that everything was fine. He wouldn't be able to rest until he saw him with his own eyes. He must have let the anxious look slip on his face because Regis was staring at him before he started to grin impishly, handing his cup to Clarus.

"I didn't mean to keep you for this long," Regis said starting to stand using his cane to push himself up to his feet. "I know how much you must really want to check on your charge."

"I just wanted to make sure he made it back ok," Cor stated clearing his throat.

"Ignis has already informed me that the prince and his friend are in safe hands," Regis continued on using his cane to clack his way closer. "But you'll likely get the poor boy worried if you keep wearing that scowl on your face."

Cor sighed doing his best to relax. Darn Regis and his ability to read people. "If you're done inspecting me, am I free to go?"

Regis nodded watching him salute and turn away. Cor missed the impish glint in Regis's eyes, but the words that came out of his mouth gave way to his teasing nature. "Be gentle with the boy, would you? I've heard the first time can cause a bit of discomfort, so if you're going to do it be sure you prepare with a sufficient amount of –"

"We're not in that type of relationship!" Cor blurted out losing his composure at the assumption and sure his cheeks were a bright red. Clarus stood off to the side grinning even as he didn't say anything. Clearing his throat, doing his best to ignore the way Regis was smirking at him, he reached for the door opening it. "If you'll excuse me, your highness, I have to go check on Prompto." He didn't look back to see their expressions as he left out of the room closing the door behind him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Prompto seemed relieved to see him when he checked up on them. They were inside the training grounds working up a sweat thanks to Gladio. He wasn't sure what might have happened to cause this sudden training regiment, but he didn't disapprove of it either thinking that exercise would help exert some of the extra energy Prompto had.

"So you guys didn't run into any problems on the way back?" He thought he saw Prompto tense up in front of him but Noctis walked over answering before Cor could question it.

"There were a few MTs in the area around us, but otherwise we got back with no issues at all." He was covered in sweat and panting a bit looking thankful for the break as he flopped down on the ground. "But man, I could kill for a slice of cake right now."

"Shall I give you the knife to kill your own snack then?" Ignis asked saying the words with a completely straight face.

"No, that's what I have you for," Noctis sad feigning annoyance even as he started grinning. "And please don't tell me you have a bunch of refrigerator running jokes up your sleeves. Your lame jokes are just going to make me feel even lazier."

"Says the one that'd rather have someone mouth feed him than to pick up the spoon himself," Prompto said laughing and making Cor wonder with a small inkling of jealousy if that really happened between the two.

"Well, since you appear to be done with your little training, might I suggest a bath before your snack break?"

"Sure. Might be quicker if we use the one in the training hall since we're here," Noctis said looking at Prompto before he smiled. "You wanna join me?"

Maybe it was a trick of his eyes but Cor was sure he saw Prompto's cheeks redden slightly before he glanced away. His eyes met with the marshal's and he must have caught a look on the marshal's face because he frowned a bit before rubbing at his cheek giving a small laugh. "Sorry, maybe next time. I'll meet you for cake later though, if that's fine with you."

"Sure that's fine," Noctis said smiling even as his eyes glanced over at Cor giving him an undecipherable look before he stood up. "Meet me at my room? I'll make sure Ignis doesn't make something gross."

"Darn. And I was so tempted to make a broccoli casserole to go with your cake," Ignis said pushing his glasses up.

"Don't even joke about something like that!" Noctis yelled out looking mortified. Gladio laughed from behind him as he grinned walking over and slapping a hand down on Noctis's back almost toppling him over.

"Do it, Iggy. I'll hold him down while you force it into that bratty mouth of his."

"As much as the idea tempts me," Ignis said smirking as he looked over at Gladio in amusement. "Cleaning up bile discharge is not exactly my cup of tea."

"Doubt that'd be anyone's cup of tea," Gladio said grimacing as he stretched his arms up above his head heading for the door. "I remember doing that for Iris more times than I want to count when she was younger. It was like the older she got the worst it smelled."

"Ew. Can you not gross me out before food time?" Prompto said making a face as he stuck his tongue out holding his hands to his stomach. "Ugh, I don't even think I want to eat anymore. Thanks, dude."

"Any time." Gladio grinned back at him not looking the least bit apologetic for bringing it up. "Now go handle your business before I end up eating your portions."

"I will I will!"

"Please be sure to join us as well, Marshal," Ignis said giving a slight bow of respect to him.

"I wouldn't miss your cooking for anything," Cor said smiling softly. He watched the three of them leave, Prompto standing beside him and waving the three of them off looking almost envious not to be going with them.

"You can go with them if you want," Cor said watching the hand drop down as Prompto jostled his leg slightly like an impatient puppy.

"Nah," the blond said looking up at him, the joyous expression becoming insipid now that the others were gone. It still bothered Cor to see the look knowing in part that it might be partly because of him. It was something he wanted to fix but didn't know the means to how or even the reason behind why he felt like he was the target of the look. "Besides, I could tell you have some business with me."

Frowning, Cor nodded his head slowly glancing towards the door. "Let's…talk once we're back in the room." Prompto nodded as well before looking away rubbing at an arm. He was still soaked with sweat though he'd dried a bit just from standing around and talking. Still, it wasn't good for him to be walking around in wet clothes like he was. "We can talk once you get your bath."

"That sounds good," Prompto said starting for the door. "Hope it's not one of those birds and the bees talks." He said it as a joke as he looked back at Cor smiling innocently enough that Cor had to clear his throat to not put context into the words spoken.

"I could give you one of those talks if you want," Cor said walking with him in the hallway, the other giving a light laugh in response.

"I already know about it," Prompto said humming slightly as he rounded the corner towards their room. "I'd like to experience the real thing honestly but…I'm not exactly normal, you know?" He looked back at Cor smiling even though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he stopped in front of their door. "I really don't even know what I am."

"You're human," Cor said reaching down with his hand to gently ruffling his hair. "Regardless of what anyone thinks, you're just like the rest of us. You're a human."

"That's easy to say when you look like one…" Prompto pulled out his spare key unlocking the door and walking into the room leaving Cor to have to follow him inside. "I can feel them, you know."

"…Feel who?" Cor's eyebrows lifted up in confusion as he followed him inside closing the door behind him.

"The MTs." Prompto stopped by the kitchen table looking back at him. "I can…sense then…I can literally pinpoint almost exactly where they're located." He laughed but it came out as a bitter sound condescending of himself. "I can almost bet that a human can't do something like that."

"And yet you're standing here worrying about it. Worrying is a human emotion," Cor walked over to him stopping in front of him as he reached out resting his hand on his shoulder. The blue eyes stared up at him as if trying to read him. They looked bright, alive. His lips were plump and full of blood. The freckles stood out like a constellation across his cheeks and he found himself wanting to reach out and trace the dots. No matter what Prompto thought, all those things were human traits. He was as human as a human could be.

And as a human, Prompto had an obvious attraction to Noctis, obvious to Cor anyway. He laughed more around him, was touchier around him, and that blush from earlier when Noctis mentioned them showering together couldn't have been a coincidence. He was definitely sure that Noctis was into his blond friend. Cor also had a feeling that more happened on the way back from the arcade than the two of them were telling them. What all happened though, he wasn't sure. But from the way that Prompto had tensed up, it was something they didn't want him knowing about.

"I'm going to go get my shower so we can head out," Prompto said gesturing with a thumb behind him towards the bathroom. Cor gave a brief nod watching the other walk away as he frowned holding a hand to his forehead. What the hell was wrong with him? He was too old for this. Was he really getting jealous over the prince's interaction with Prompto? And worse, Prompto reacting to those interactions?

"Wonder if Clarus would be willing to grab a drink with me tonight?" He was talking to himself giving a sigh as he looked down seeing Tiny as the small cat walked over rubbing up against him. "You don't seem to mind begging for attention do you?" As the kitten meowed, Cor found himself smiling a bit as he kneeled down rubbing underneath his chin. The kitten purred not giving a complaint when Cor picked him up heading to the couch to sit and wait for Prompto to finish his shower.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably...didn't catch all the typos this time around DX I apologize.

It was the middle of the night when Cor was jolted awake by the presence of something not being right. From his position on his back, he opened his eyes being greeted by the twin glow of two red eyes staring back at him in the darkness of the bedroom. His hand reached out by reflex, moving towards the katana leaning up against the side of his nightstand.

"Cor? Are you…awake?" The voice stopped his actions as he stared at the glowing eyes feeling his hand falter.

"Prompto?" Saying the name seemed to bring some relief to him as he reached for the lamp on the nightstand instead clicking it on and suffering the effects of the bright lights that made him grunt and squint looking up at the other. Prompto was standing by the door, his arms wrapped around a pillow as he stared at Cor on the bed. His eyes were still shining with that unnatural red glow that made Cor wonder why they were still turning red at times. "Everything ok?"

"Couldn't sleep," Prompto said quietly looking down towards his feet. "I was wondering if I could…share the bed with you tonight."

Cor hesitated for a moment before he sat up gently patting the spot beside him. "It's fine. Though it's a little smaller than my bed at home so it may be a tight fit."

"That's fine," Prompto said looking almost relieved at the permission to join as he walked over crawling into bed beside him. The red eyes stilled shined prominently as Cor looked down at him, his hand moving on its own to gently brushing at Prompto's hair.

"Why are your eyes red again?"

"…I don't know," Prompto said, a small frown appearing on his lips as he pulled his legs up wrapping his arms around them as he rocked a little. "I was…dreaming I think. Or having a nightmare? About a man with red hair." Cor tensed up at the words, his thoughts automatically going to Ardyn Izunia.

"…Red hair?" Cor frowned, his hand going still on Prompto's head only moving again when Prompto gave him a questioning look. "Is he…someone from your past?"

"I think so…" Prompto frowned lying down and snuggling closer, his body heat soaking into Cor's side as he closed his eyes. "I keep seeing…images of him. And after earlier today…" He clamped his mouth shut frowning more. "Maybe I'm just being stupid."

"What happened earlier?" The eyes opened to look up at him and he was thankful to see the blues reflected back at him.

"Noctis and I ran into a man…a guy with red hair. He said he was lost but the way he said things, it was like he knew what I was. Not to mention I…my body felt a strong urge to run. If Noctis wasn't there, I don't know what I would have done."

"Do you know the man's name?" Prompto shook his head closing his eyes again.

"I just know that he's scary, whoever he is. I feel like I know him…his looks…his voice…his eyes…I feel like they're integrated into my brain and my very being."

"I won't let him touch you," Cor said sliding his hand back to rub his back soothingly. "You're safe here. I won't let him take you back nor am I going anywhere." Prompto gave a brief nod, his body seeming to relax underneath the touch. It gave Cor a warm feeling to see how much Prompto trusted him even for not having known him for long. Cor lied down beside him watching how the younger one slid his body closer to his warmth. "Get some sleep. We need to be rested up if we plan on going to the festival tonight."

"I'll try," Prompto said wrapping an arm over Cor's waist as he tucked his head against his chest. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep underneath Cor's watchful. He could feel the other's intake of breath through his back as he breathed deeply in what seemed to be a peaceful sleep. Reaching behind him, Cor clicked the light off before settling in pulling Prompto closer protectively.

He had no doubts in his mind that the man Prompto and Noctis ran into was none other than Ardyn Izunia. The red head was crafty enough that he'd have no problems with sneaking around the city of Insomnia without a second thought. But Cor couldn't help questioning why he didn't at that time take Prompto back with him. Was something preventing him from the simple task or was it something else he was waiting on to happen first? He didn't get to think on it too long as Prompto's gentle snores lulled him back to sleep.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Gentlemen," Ignis said stopping in front of the festival entrance as he looked back at the group of them, the fox shaped mask doing well to hide his true facial expression. "Welcome to the Festival of Daemons."

"Are you sure we couldn't have come up with a better name than that?" Came Noctis's voice from behind a very docile looking wolf mask. He yawned stretching his arms over his head; his body covered in a long black, hooded robe similar to the rest of them and other participates in the festival. "Sounds like we're a bunch of daemons running around."

"Well it is supposed to be a day associated with daemons running amuck," Ignis said folding his arms and tilting his head, the fox mask not hiding the sarcastic gesture. "But I guess when you become king someday you can go through the arduous process of changing the annual festival name despite it being named so for over 200 years now."

"On second thought, the Festival of Daemons is fine for a name," Noctis said resting his hand on his hip.

"It's fitting considering the brat we have to keep an eye on all the time," Gladio said walking up and resting his arm on Noctis's shoulder making the younger male bog down as he laughed at him behind his bear mask. "So what does the bratty one want to do first?"

"Hey! I'm not your leaning post!" Despite the words and swatting Gladio away, Noctis laughed before he turned his attention to Prompto, his voice holding a smile to it as he spoke to the young blond beside him. "Anywhere you want to go, Prompto?"

"Huh?" Prompto's body straightened up as if he'd been pulled from a daze. He tilted his head turning his chocobo mask up to look at Cor on his other side. "Uh…I really don't know anything about this so I guess…whatever?" His attention turned back to Noctis as Cor frowned underneath his monkey mask, fingertip tapping restlessly against the katana hidden beneath his black robe. It was never too much to be safe. While the masks and hooded robes would help to disguises them, it was never too late to stay on the defensive.

"How about trying a few of the foods while we walk around?" Cor suggested hearing Prompto's stomach rumbled before the blond looked up in Cor's direction again.

"That sounds good," Prompto said sounding more lighthearted with his response before looking over at Noctis. "Is that ok?"

"Sure." Noctis reached out a hand to rest on top of his head and pulled him closer bumping their masked foreheads together and making Cor a bit envious of the intimate like gesture before he could truly mask the feeling from himself. Why would he be envious? He'd already determined that Prompto should be with someone more his age. Noctis would be a perfect person to fill those shoes, if the two of them were really into each other in that way.

"Just remember what I said about sticking close," Cor said as a reminder turning his eyes away from the sight of the two of them together as he started moving expecting the others to follow. "We're here to have fun and stay safe. If any of you see anything out of the ordinary, either alert me or the glaives stationed around the festival."

"And the glaives are all wearing dog masks right?" Prompto asked.

"Black dog masks," Cor amended. "To make it easier for them to blend in and act with more discretion." Prompto nodded his head moving up to walk beside his faster pace, smaller legs keeping up. "How about this?" Cor stopped them in front of a stand gesturing up to the meal. "A meat bread."

"…A meat bread?"

"It's bread filled with rare behemoth meat," Noctis said joining them. "I hear this is like the only time of the year that you can get it."

"Probably because behemoths are so hard to find." Ignis stopped beside Noctis pushing the mask up on his face similarly to how he'd do his glasses. It probably wasn't even a necessary action, just something out of habit. "And considering this is usually the mating season, they're so stuck in their voluptuous state that they rarely sense the danger of someone hunting them until it's too late."

"…Eww, don't really want to know about behemoths getting their brains blown out while making out," Prompto said, the voice leaving little for Cor to imagine about the type of face he was making. It made him smile behind his own mask as he turned ordering enough meat breads for the whole group.

"Don't tell me you're really that bothered about a behemoth being killed with his dong in-"

"I don't need that mental image!" Prompto yelled out covering his ears.

"Yes, Gladio, no one wants to hear about your sex life," Noctis said obviously grinning.

"I for one don't want to imagine a Gladio behemoth with his phallic piece hanging out," Ignis added in shaking his head in dismay. "Now can we turn this talk away from body parts so we enjoy our meal?"

"I so agree with that statement," Prompto said resting his arm on Noctis's shoulder as he looked at Gladio. "No offense, but I really really really REALLY don't want the image of you naked in my head."

"That's just because you can't handle this manly physique," Gladio said flexing his muscles drawing a few laughs from their small group.

"Sure, dude. That must be it," Prompto said still laughing. "If I wanted to imagine a manly physique, I'd totally pick Cor over you." Receiving the basket of meat breads from the merchant, Cor tensed up slightly when he heard the words. He hadn't been fully following the conversation up until he heard his name, his ears tuning in to what they were talking about.

"Oh really?" Gladio said folding his arms.

"Tsk….yeah really. He's like ten times hotter than you," it was almost condescending how he spoke to Gladio. This only told him that Prompto was comfortable enough that talking like this to Gladio was no problem now. Cor still had a hard time figuring out how Prompto could pick up these different personalities so quickly. But then again, he'd been trained to learn fast and learn a lot. Otherwise, what other way could an MT function in the many duties they were tasked with every day? "I'd pick Cor, Noctis, and Ignis before I picked you."

Noctis laughed at the words. "You know it's something when he even chooses Ignis over you."

"Hey, Iggy's cool," Prompto said almost sounding like he was pouting. Iggy? When did he get so close to the advisor to call him that? "I bet he gets plenty of women after him every day."

"Well…at least 2 or 3," Ignis said correcting him. "But I'm not keeping count. I have my duties as Noct's advisor and I plan to see them through to the very end."

"Such a buzzkill," Gladio muttered before his eyes focused in on Cor, or probably really more on what he was holding. It was hard to tell when the other had the mask on. "Smells good. That for us?"

"Consider it my thanks for all the hard work you've all done over the years," Cor said walking them over to an empty table and sitting the contents down. As the boys dug in, Cor looked around surveying the area around them. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He could see a few glaives walking among the crowd, those that wanted to be seen. Others lay hidden in the shadows and he knew they were watching even if they weren't physically visible themselves.

"You gonna eat, Cor?" It was Prompto's voice drawing his attention back to the blond as the other one held one of the meat bread out to him.

"Thanks," Cor said taking the meat bread from him and earning a nod in response from Prompto as he took a bite of the bread, explosion of meat and sauce attacking his taste buds in a good way. "By the way, I believe there is a fishing contest-"

"Let's do it," Noctis said mouth sounding full from the meat bread.

"Manners, Highness," Ignis said sounding more dignified as he slipped the bread under his mask for another bite.

"Not much he can do for manners when he's got fish on the brain," Gladio said gripping Noctis's shoulder and jostling him around chuckling. "You better win if you know what's good for your reputation."

"Trust me," Noctis said swallowing his food. "There's no way I could lose."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The prince was keeping to his word, leading so far in the strangely fast paced world of competitive fishing. Either the fish were starved to keep the competition riveting, or they were using some really unique bait. Either way, the group of them standing around him cheering him on only seemed to add to the excitement as the crowd stood around cheering for one of the two participates left in the race.

Between the prince and the other contestant, it looked as though it could be anyone's game. Since everyone at the festival wore masks and robes, it was easy to lose people you knew thanks to the bustling crowd of similar clothes. This was how he ended up losing Prompto when he looked over to find only an empty spot where once a chocobo mask clad blond stood.

"Prompto?" He didn't get an answer in response looking around seeing a few other chocobo masks walking around as well. Ignis must have heard him because his fox mask turned to look at Cor slyly.

"Everything alright, Marshal?"

"I don't see Prompto," Cor said frowning behind his own monkey mask, his eyes flickering around scanning the crowd for any sign of where the blond was.

Ignis looked down as if in thought. "If I recall, I might have heard him mention needing to utilize the latrine. Perhaps that's where he is." He seemed to frown shaking his head slowly. "I…apologize for not fully paying attention, but at the time my focus was completely on the prince." He could kind of understand what he meant. At this time, his own focus had been on the prince, caught up in the excitement coming in from the surrounding crowd as he worked on reeling in what looked like the biggest catch of the lake. The power behind the fish's pull and the way Noctis struggled to keep his grip on his line intrigued him enough that he completely missed Prompto mentioning the restroom. "However, I do believe that Gladio did accompany him."

"You're fine," Cor said resting a hand on his shoulder. "It is your responsibility to keep an eye on the prince. You're doing a fine job." Cheering happened from the lake as Noctis pulled out his catch holding it up to be measured.

"At 65 inches and 150 pounds on his catch, our winner in tonight's competition is…the young man in the wolf mask!"

At the announcer's declaration, Noctis threw a hand in the air in victory as he laughed claiming his trophy before he walked over to join them, looking around. "Where's Prompto? I want him to see this."

"Gladio took him to the latrine," Ignis said looking off in the distance. "I'm sure they should be on their way back right…ah speak of the devil. There's Gladio right there." While Gladio wasn't the only one in a bear mask, his big size and confident stride made it easy to point him out. However, what was lacking was the chocobo mask that should have been walking beside him. "You seem to be missing your charge."

"I don't know where he is," Gladio said lifting his mask up to look at them, his lips turned down in a frown. "I was waiting right outside the restroom for him but he never came out. When I went in to look for him, he wasn't there. Can't imagine how he could have gotten out, especially since the way in is the only way out."

"Well it won't do to have him wandering around alone," Ignis said pushing into action as he looked around. "Let's split into two groups. Noct, if you would go with Gladio, I will be searching with the marshal. If we're split up we should have a better chance of finding him."

"Alright. Be careful." Noctis sounded as worried as Cor felt and with good reason. He'd experienced firsthand the dangers they faced. While they might not have had any problems yesterday, he was sure Noctis remembered the run in with Ardyn. If it was anything like how Cor had felt meeting the man then it'd have to be akin to having a run in with the devil. There was something not quite right about the red head. He knew it and he had a feeling Noctis knew it too. The last thing they needed was for him to get his hands on Prompto. So Cor was itching to search for the blond, to rip of every chocobo mask until he found him.

Gladio fixed his mask on his face again and took off with Noctis in the opposite direction of Ignis and Cor. As they moved throughout the festival they questioned every chocobo clad face they saw. Cor debated on whether to have the glaive move in on the search but thought better of it. It was better not to draw any attention to the situation, especially if Prompto was merely lost. That was his hope for this situation anyway, that Gladio had missed him coming out and Prompto had wandered into the crowd and gotten lost. While he didn't like the idea all that much more, he preferred it to the idea that Prompto might be in danger.

Thirty minutes had passed and he was about ready to alert the glaive when something caught his attention, his eyes flickering to an alleyway just as they were going past it. It made him back up, peering down the long pathway seeing a chocobo mask staring back in his direction. "Prompto?"

Ignis had ran past but he came back when he saw the marshal standing there looking into the alley. "Did you find him?"

"Probably," Cor said his eyes focused on Prompto as he started walking towards him with determination. There was something about the figure that just screamed to him that this was Prompto. He was at that height, at that build even with a slightly slouched posture that could only belong to the blond. As Cor got closer, however, he started to grow worried at the lack of movement from the other. He slowed to a stop in front of him, hesitating before he reached down grabbing the bottom of the mask slowly lifting it up.

Red eyes met him, staring blankly as they blinked slowly. He didn't look as though he recognized Cor, almost looking as though he were seeing right through him. It shouldn't have bothered Cor as much as it did considering how he'd seen him when he first met him. But after he'd gotten to know the blond, gotten to see the bright smile and hear the laughter he knew was hidden inside, seeing the blond like this just wasn't right.

So he couldn't stop himself from reaching down and grabbing Prompto's shoulders shaking him slightly. "Prompto, snap out of it." The other didn't respond to the shake making Cor's frown deepen as he snapped his fingers in front of him. "Prompto!"

Prompto blinked, his eyes focusing on him before he seemed to jolt gasping as he looked around quickly, a panic starting to rise to his eyes. He yelled out before Cor pulled him forward hugging him close letting the sound be muffed into his robes. The blond started to struggling against him trying to get away but as Cor started comforting him quietly in his ear and rubbing his back he slowly started to calm down before relaxing leaning on Cor's body for support.

Cor could feel the other's body trembling beneath his touch wondering what happened to cause such a reaction, the young blond panting against his robes. Leaning over, he could see the other's eyes were closed now, his throat moving as he kept swallowing hard before the pants would continue. As he kept rubbing his back he glanced over at Ignis catching the other's stare and the way he eyed Prompto leaving of his opinion to be known.

Ignis seemed to hesitate for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. "Is everything al-"

He didn't get to finish his question as Prompto moved away quickly, both hands pressed to the wall beside him before he retched unable to hold it back. Cor moved to him as quickly as Ignis did, his hand resting on his back as he stared at him in a panic. "Prompto!"

The touch made Prompto flinch as he shoved him back, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve as his wide, red eyes stared at him fearfully looking like he was ready to bolt at any minute. It was like being stabbed in the chest the way that Prompto stared at him with trepidation.

"Prompto?"

Ignis looked as clueless as he felt, speaking gently to the blond. "Prompto, it's us." Ignis reached up quickly removing his own mask.

"Ig...nis…" The blond sounded relieved to see him visibly relaxing for a moment before his eyes rolled back, his legs giving out as he started to collapse. Cor's body moved into action before his mind could even process what happened as he dived forward scraping a knee on the ground as he caught the blond. The other's eyes were closed as he laid slump against Cor's body unmoving.

"Prompto?" Cor pulled him back staring down at his closed unmoving eyes before he popped his hand against his cheek. "Prompto, wake up!"

Ignis kneeled down on the other side of them reaching down to grab Prompto's wrist checking his pulse. "He's alive. It looks like he just passed out."

"Why?" Cor questioned speaking more to the air around them than to Ignis himself. "Why was he-"

"Scared?" Ignis finished for him before shaking his head frowning. "I'm not sure. Perhaps he saw something that frightened him or mayhap an unpleasant memory forced his body into shock. Either way, it might be good to take him back to the Citadel and let him rest."

"Yeah…" Cor nodded lifting his mask. "I'll take him back with me and have a doctor check him over. You find Gladio and his highness and let them know the situation. While it might not be anything dangerous, I want you two to keep an eye on the prince and keep him safe until he's back within Citadel walls."

"We'll take care of it, Marshal," Ignis said standing to his feet before giving a nod. "Be careful."

"Same to you," Cor responded before sliding an arm underneath Prompto's legs carefully picking him up. As the two of them split up he started heading back carrying his charge closely to him. He glanced down often checking that the other was still asleep, worried about a relapse of the panic and fear Prompto presented to him earlier. What had caused that fear earlier to the point he'd ended up in a cold sweat? What did he see that caused him to get into that mechanical state to begin with?

"Ardyn…." Cor thought he'd thought the name up himself but when he looked down he realized that the name had been whispered from Prompto's unconscious lips. Was this all Ardyn's doing? Had he showed up and reawaken a fear in Prompto that had been buried away since his escape? The answer didn't come to him, not while Prompto was in this state. He could ask him when he woke up; ask him what happened in the alley and why he'd been so scared? If he could help it, he'd stop his fears no matter what he had to do. If it meant protecting Prompto, he'd find a way.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

"How is he?" Cor asked stopping in the doorway to the bedroom as the Citadel physician looked over at him pulling the mask down that was covering his face.

"There's no immediate problem that I can see other than the fact that it looks like he was suffering from a bit of dehydration," the physician said sliding the chair back from the bed as he stood up. "I've given him an IV but I suggest letting him rest indoors for a bit and making sure he drinks plenty of fluids." Cor nodded escorting the doctor to the door giving him his thanks before closing the door behind him.

"So…what's the verdict?" Noctis asked from the couch, the others spread out around the small living room having found some seating accommodations.

"Dehydration," Cor said turning to look at them frowning. "Or…so the doctor says anyway."

"Dehydration doesn't cause that kind of reaction, in my opinion," Ignis said frowning as he rubbed at his chin looking down at the ground.

"Then maybe he was so dehydrated he started to hallucinate?" Even though Gladio gave the suggestion, he didn't sound a hundred percent sure of it. Hallucination might have been the cause…on a regular human. But Prompto wasn't a normal human, not when his eyes had the ability to become red like they did. Though Ignis's earlier suggestion did come to mind. That maybe something traumatic had awakened inside of him turning him into that more robotic state. Maybe he became that way to hide from a memory. Maybe that was why he whispered Ardyn's name.

"I still don't get how he got out of the bathroom without Gladio noticing," Noctis said looking towards the bedroom that Prompto was inside. "Or why he was in that alleyway in the first place. Are you sure he was alone?"

"There wasn't anyone else nearby," Cor said at the same time that Ignis said that there was no one else there. He could ask the glaive if they saw anything suspicious but he was sure they would have said something by now.

"Perhaps it would be best to just ask Prompto what happened when he wakes up," Ignis said looking down at the small kitten that jumped up into his lap before he smiled reaching down to pet him. "What easier way to find out the truth than from the source itself."

Gladio stood up from his chair stretching noisily before he looked over at Cor. "We'll go ahead and call it a night then. Let us know if anything changes."

"I will," Cor said nodding his head before he looked over watching Ignis place Tiny on the couch before standing up. "Please, just in case, I'd like for everyone to stay on their guard. Report anything of suspicion."

"Will do," Ignis said, Gladio nodding as the two of them started for the door. Ignis slowed looking back at Noctis still sitting on the couch before he frowned a bit. "Are you coming, Noct?"

"Hm?" Noctis looked up at him before he glanced away sheepishly, rubbing behind his head. "I was…thinking that…" His eyes flickered over to Cor as he lowered his hand down into his lap. "Do you mind if I stay here? Just for the night. I kinda…don't want to leave him alone when he's like this."

If Ignis noticed the tensing of Cor's body, he didn't make any mention of it as the marshal gave a slow shake of his head. "I don't mind," Cor said nodding towards the prince. "It'd probably do some good to Prompto to have a friend here by his side."

"Thanks," Noctis said smiling softly.

"Then I shall leave the prince in your care, marshal," Ignis said bowing his head slightly before he headed out the door with Gladio. Once the door closed, Cor turned his attention back to Noctis rubbing behind his head a bit. "I'll give you some of my clothes to wear while you're here. They'll be more comfortable than what you're currently wearing anyway." He heard Noctis's soft thanks as he retreated to his room to find some sweatpants and a t-shirt for him to wear.

Grabbing the two items from the dresser, Cor stood staring at the bed where Prompto lay still fast asleep. He hadn't even moved or showed any indication of waking up. Cor walked over to him staring down at him before he reached down gently brushing his hair out of his face before cupping his soft cheek. He wanted to know what happened out in that alley, what made Prompto become like this. It bothered him that he wasn't there to protect him. Ardyn could have easily found him all alone there and kidnapped him. They were lucky, lucky at least to have gotten to him first.

"Cor?"

Cor pulled his hand back turning around looking at Noctis standing in the door. "Sorry, was just checking up on him."

"How's he doing?" He didn't seem to think anything of the intimate touch as he started walking over looking down at Prompto.

"Still knocked out," Cor said holding the clothes out to him. "Here. This should work for you."

Noctis nodded grabbing the clothes and holding them close to his chest as he looks up at Cor before glancing away. "Sorry for…intruding like this. I just…I'm worried about leaving him alone." He frowned then gripping the clothes tighter in his hands. "I wish there was something I could do for him."

"Just…stay by his side," Cor said staring down into the prince's eyes when the other looked up at him. "As long as you're here with him, I'm sure he'll be alright." He hesitated for a moment before looking back at the bed. "…It wouldn't be good to have his majesty staying on the couch." He returned his attention to Noctis. "Therefore, I'll sleep on the couch. Can you sleep in Prompto's room tonight? I'd rather leave him in here just in case he toss and turns in his sleep."

"That's fine but…you really don't have to sleep on the couch. I'm the uninvited guest here, remember? So I can sleep on the couch."

"Regardless, you are still my guest." Cor reached down grabbing his shoulders and turned him around starting to walk him from the room. "Now I won't hear another word about you sleeping on the couch. Besides, I am not unfamiliar with the couch. There are times I nap there when I need to take a break from my work."

"Fine fine." Noctis sighed walking along with him before the two of them stopped in front of Prompto's room.

"You know where the guest bathroom is." Cor lowered his hands from his shoulders. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. There's food and a couple of sodas and juices I bought for Prompto in the fridge."

"Mew." Cor looked down at Tiny smiling fondly as the little kitten rubbed up against his legs. "Also, don't be startled if you find Tiny cuddling with you. He tends to like sleeping with Prompto at night."

"I'll keep that in mind." Noctis looked up at him giving him a small smile. "Thanks, Cor." Cor nodded his head in response before watching the other walk off towards the bathroom. Grabbing a couple of things from the closet, Cor set about making a small bed of the couch before heading back the bedroom to steal one of his pillows. He found himself stopping to stare down at Prompto's somber face, his mind trying to determine for itself what really happened that tonight. What had started out as a fun evening had quickly changed to something panic inducing. And he just couldn't shake the feeling that Ardyn had something to do with it.

He wished Prompto didn't still have to go through more pain and suffering. He could only imagine how much Prompto had already been through being one of the Niflheim Empire's playthings.

"Rest well," Cor said reaching out and gently brushing fingers against his cheek. "I want you feeling better by morning, ok?" He didn't get a response. Honestly, he didn't expect to either. Time would tell the effects of last night's ordeal on Prompto. He just hoped he had no problems bouncing back from this.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was some time in the middle of the night when the sound of a door creaking open startled him into awakening. Reaching out to the katana leaning against the coffee table, Cor felt his eyes slip open to full alertness in a matter of seconds. Something didn't feel right. His instincts were raising all sorts of alarms in his head. He heard movement, heard the noise of a door creaking again as he sat up slowly looking around with a careful eye.

Prompto's bedroom door was opening. He was pretty sure he saw it closed last night when Noctis went to sleep. Maybe Noctis had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. Still he'd be better safe than sorry to check up on the two best friends as he got up from the couch carrying his katana with him. The door to his bedroom was wide open, which wasn't a surprise since he'd left it like that the night before. But what bothered him was the lack of a body lying in the bed where it should be.

Frowning, Cor checked the master bathroom before heading towards Prompto's room holding his katana close by, his feet silent on the wooden floor, familiar with the creaks and cracks of the floor boards. As he moved into the room quietly, his eyes twisted with confusion seeing Prompto straddled on top of Noctis. At first he thought he'd just walked into an intimate moment going on between the two and was about to turn to leave when the glint of light shining off metal caught his eyes as Prompto lifted the knife up above his head.

His body moved on auto following instinct as Cor moved forward pulling the katana free and swinging hitting it into the knife just as it was going on its path downward to stab into the sleeping Noctis. The knife flew free from Prompto's hand clattering as it hit the ground pulling Noctis to the awakened world, the ebony haired male grunting with confusion as he struggled to move.

"Prompto?" Noctis asked before his voice choked out as Prompto wrapped his hands around his neck starting to strangle him. Cor dropped his katana rushing forward to pulling at Prompto's hands amazed at the amount of strength he had in him.

"Prompto, let him go!" The hands froze up, big glowing red eyes looking up at him before the hands dropped down from Noctis's neck, his body staying still looking much like how Cor remembered it from when he'd first met him. "Prompto?"

Noctis coughed rubbing at his neck reaching over to cut on the lamp on the nightstand. Prompto didn't react to the light cutting on; his red eyes staring ahead blankly apparently not even conscious of the situation from the look of things. "Is he alright?" the prince asked.

"I don't know." Cor reached out to touch Prompto's cheek frowning when the other leaned back from the touch. "It seems like he's in a trance state."

"Is this how he was when you first found him?"

"More or less. He was a bit more responsive than this." Cor tried again to touch him before he sighed in defeat lowering his hand. "He's not acting like himself."

"But he listened to you," Noctis said carefully sliding himself from underneath Prompto kneeling on the bed in front of him. "You think this has something to do with whatever happened last night?" He coughed again reaching over to grab the glass of water on the nightstand to drink.

"I do," Cor said frowning. "Something happened last night between the time he was in the restroom and when we found him in the alleyway." He thought about how Prompto started out in a trance before they had broken him out of it only from him to hurl in fear and pass out.

"Mmm…" The sound from Prompto's lips caught both of their attention as the blond blinked his eyes rapidly before the red started to fade away returning to the beautiful blue Cor was used to seeing. "W-Wha…I…why am I…?" He looked confused, and rightly so kneeling on the bed with Noctis sitting in front of him which had to feel odd to suddenly see a prince in your bed.

"You ok, Prompto?" Noctis asked reaching out and gently resting a hand on top of his head petting him. Cor didn't miss the way Prompto's cheeks seemed to redden a bit from the attention. But he wasn't going to focus on that right now as he moved sitting down beside Prompto on the bed.

"I…I-I'm fine." He smiled even though he looked pretty unsure of his answer. As he looked back feeling the bed dip down from Cor sitting close to him, his eyes met with Cor's briefly before looking away, his body subconsciously leaning away from Cor and closer to Noctis making Cor frown. Why was he acting so afraid of him? He hadn't missed the surprised or fearful look in Prompto's eyes. "Did I…miss something?"

"A lot apparently," Noctis said frowning too as he picked up on the reaction. "You got lost at the fair. Cor and Iggy ended up finding you in some alley but you passed out before you could give us a clue to what happened. Do you remember anything at all?"

"Whoa, I passed out?!" Prompto asked looking up at Noctis quickly before he shook his head. "I don't remember much besides telling Gladio that I need to take a leak."

"So you can't remember how you got to the alley?" Cor asked giving a sigh when he saw the smaller body tense up at his voice before quickly shaking his head again. This wasn't going to work. He was going to have to do some investigating around the area Prompto passed out at to hopefully find out what happened to him. But in the meantime…

"Well for now, you two get some rest," Cor said standing up hating how Prompto seemed to relax when he did. "I'll have either Ignis or Gladio stay to watch and make sure another episode doesn't happen."

"Episode?" Prompto asked looking at Cor before quickly looking at Noctis for answers.

"I'll…tell you about it later," Noctis said sliding over and pulling Prompto to lie down. "Now get to sleep, ok?" Prompto nodded flopping down into the pillow seeming to follow the command with no problem.

As Cor turned to walk out of the room, Noctis's voice called out to him stopping him. "Where are you going?"

"Living room," Cor answered not giving him the full details of his plan. "I'll give one of the other two a call to have them come over." He could see Prompto's body tensing from the sound of his voice. "Besides…it might be best that I step away from the situation for a bit."

"Alright," Noctis said smiling up at him. "Don't stay out too long. I'm sure this is just something temporary."

"I hope you're right," Cor said before heading for the door. "Get some sleep, prince."

"Sure thing," Noctis said following it up with a yawn. Whether Noctis lay right down or not, he wasn't sure as he went out the door leaving it open in the case he had to rush back in. He doubted Noctis would go right to sleep, not when he'd almost been stabbed and choked not long ago. Except, he knew Noctis didn't blame Prompto for the actions. It showed how strong a resolve Noctis had for his friends because any other person would have been scrambling to get out of the bed and away from the person that had just tried to kill them, whether they were under someone else's control or not.

"Mew." Cor looked down at the kitten staring up at him before he bent down picking him up. "Kind of early for you too, little guy." He walked to the couch sitting down and resting Tiny in his lap before reaching over to grab his phone. "Shouldn't you be sleep?" The kitten purred as he rubbed behind his tiny ears, before trying to catch his fingers in little paws.

Even Cor couldn't keep his tough guy act up long as he smiled slipping the kitten to his side starting to rub his belly. As the kitty lay there being pampered, Cor started his first call up with Gladio. He was sure the big guy would come and thought it better to have the prince's shield here as a protector.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It turns out that both Noctis's retainers had decided to stay to keep watch over him, each taking turns to keep watch over Prompto to make sure the same action didn't repeat itself. They thought it best to keep them separated until they could figure out what was going on with the smaller blond. While Gladio stayed in the room with Prompto, Ignis was to keep watch over Noctis being his closest retainer and almost like an older brother to him.

So when morning finally did officially come, Noctis was only mildly surprised that Cor hadn't returned yet. He knew the other was bothered by the way Prompto was acting around him. And he knew it wasn't a Prompto thing, not with how much admiration and devotion Prompto showed for Cor. If anything, Prompto talked about Cor quite a bit. But as they all sat on Cor's couch to discuss what was going on, Prompto's eyes kept darting around as if expecting someone to come in from the shadows. His eyes would change unpredictably between blue and red, especially whenever Cor's name was brought up.

It happened sometimes when Prompto would look right at Noctis and his expression would suddenly become expressionless, deadly, enough to send shivers down Noctis's spine. But it would only last briefly as with the next blink the look would be gone and the old Prompto would be there. It just made it more obvious that something besides dehydration had happened in that alley last night. He just wished he knew what it was.

"So…how are you feeling now, Prompto?" Ignis asked sitting beside the young blond, legs crossed. Gladio was sitting beside Noctis looking relaxed but on alert. There was a reason for that as Gladio warily watched Prompto's movements prepared to make a move in an instance. Being Noctis's shield, it was his duty to destroy all threats to the prince's life, regardless of whom or what it was. Noctis just prayed it never came to that though.

"I…I don't know," Prompto said frowning a bit as he stared down at the ground. "But…I'm starting to wonder if it'd be better for me to leave."

Noctis's eyebrows lifted up in surprise at the words. "Why would you say that?"

"Because there's obviously something wrong with me," Prompto said lifting his eyes up to look at Noctis. "I tried to kill you! Even now, there's this strange pull that makes me want to hurt you! And it's something I'd never be able to forgive myself for!"

"We'll figure it out!" Noctis yelled back desperately about to get up to walk towards him before Gladio's hand shot out holding him to the couch. Noctis looked over at him glaring before he forced himself to relax at the calm expression staring back at him. Getting angry over this situation wasn't going to help things. "Look…Cor's out there right now trying to find a solution. At least let's wait until he gets back to figure it out."

Prompto tensed up at Cor's name before he bit his lips looking away and rubbing at his arm. "It's useless. I'm just…I'm a defect. I should never have run away from Niflheim."

"Why would you even think something like that?" Prompto looked up at him at the question about to respond before his eyes focused on Noctis's neck. The prince knew what was there, knew the bruises from Prompto trying to strangle him were visible. Maybe it would have been a better idea to wear a sweater, Prompto's expression becoming a mix of regret and wanton desire. It was definitely not a good mixture.

"Alright, let's everyone calm down," Ignis said standing up and standing between Noctis and Prompto looking down at the blond while blocking his view of Noctis. "We should probably have a bit of breakfast. Prompto, why don't you help me in the kitchen while Noctis goes to freshen up? I believe we can all do with a fully belly." Prompto glanced up at him giving him a quick nod before he stood heading for the kitchen, Tiny meeting him halfway to follow on his heels.

"Gladio," Ignis said looking back at the prince's shield. "See about doing something with those bruises. I'm sure Marshal Cor has some kind of ointment that could be used."

"Sure thing," Gladio said standing before reaching his hand down helping Noctis up even though he could stand on his own. He wasn't invalid, even if his neck was still sore.

"And Noct," Ignis said staring at Noctis as he lowered his voice frowning slightly. "We'll do everything we can to help Prompto. But for now…try to keep your distance from him, for your safety as well as for his." Noctis sighed giving a small nod as he looked up at him. He knew what he was saying without the words coming out of his mouth. It was dangerous to be near Prompto.

First…with Prompto so unstable right now he may try to attempt to kill Noctis again for whatever reason was driving him. And second…because if he tried to kill Noctis, the other two wouldn't hesitate to take him down, friend or not. But he didn't want to leave him alone, not right now. He'd wait until Cor got back and decide from there what he'd really do. For now though…he'd keep his distance for both their sakes.

TBC…

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a rather short chapter this time since I'm just starting it out. I guess I'll just say it's like a teaser to see how it's taken. DX Though I am already working on the next chapter.


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